-
NorCal imagery
-
Sweet lookins
More of Sabine's photos -
an update of silly proportions
SLO-Town Criterium … best race of 2008?
Shava Mohseni put together an amazing crew of SLO-hoodlums and sho’nuff they delivered a great event. When you talk about vibe and promotion and the local crowds turning on the style for the racing …
yup, the SLO-Town crit pretty much slammed it in the 11t and never looked back. What a race, what a race.
I didn’t get a ton of time to watch and play at this event … but, i can tell you that i will be back every year it’s put on. Fo’ sho! And maybe next year they’ll let me do some announcing for them. That would be boss.
The course was fast (really, a sprinters delight) and technically challenging enough to keep everyone awake and alert, but not so jiggy that anyone was really squirrelball’d out. The crowds were huge and REALLY into the racing. And the local vendors were … amazing.
AGallindo’s CalGiant Starberries brought a full squad and it was the first time i really got to witness what an effect this superteam has on a town’s event. As i was walking around, chatting up random folks ~ EVERYONE was impressed with how much oompf the CalGiants brought to the race. There were a number of solo superstars out there rubbing off some shine on the SLO-Crit (Tony Cruz, Danny Holloway, the Successful living nerdbuckets, etc) … but, when CalGiant rolls up with their full crew and a car full of berries to hand out … well, it just gives the race that bit of legitimacy and excitement that really does make all the difference.
Great event and one that made me remember how much i love bike racing.
thanks SLO-town.
--
Halloway won it in a field sprint - and, let’s just say that prolly won’t be the last “V” for Holloheed this year. Holee crap is that boy on fire right now. I think it will be tough for him to repeat at Elite’s this year for the US Crit title … which is why i think he should just skip it and go straight for the USPRO title.
hell yeah.
- - - - -
-
Trackiness de AlpenRose
holee crap … check out the footage of this Keirin qualifier ~
-
-
luckily, no one was hurt in the making of this ridiculousness. But chingow, check out where that wheel lands in the final second of crash footage. Yup, that’s a carbon wheel flying right under that guy’s arm.
amazing.
- - -
Speaking of amazin’s ~ there were a few updates that the GIO put out this weekend … but, all of it was so damn blackberried in it’s spelling and grammatery that i’m not sure if the results were true, or no.
So, i decided to just run to the horse’s mouth. HELL YEAH, check out how our locals did up in Alpenrose.
all i’ve got to say is … i wish i’d been there.
- - - - -
-
EMAIL BAK-LAHG
547 unread emails as of this morning …
-
really sorry if i haven’t responded/replied/emailed you.
i suck.
-
i’ll get better (cough) …
- - - - -
WatsonVile Crit’in
yeehoo … the race in the hood. I got there late, just as the 35/45s had finished up their epic bit of battlery. Bosch and Easterling went 1-2 in the race overall, and took the 35s easily. It’s obvious this is the year of the Fresburg bullies.
Without a doubt, Bosch is the dominant crit racer in NorCal right now. It was only a strong-man winning solo-move by JandyMendonca that stopped Bosch from winning back-to-back Elite NorCal titles for the crit.
Good for Jandy, i say. The way to beat Bosch is by attacking him so many times he eventually pulls his sac in and lets you go up the road.
but … with the strength of the SierraPacificBoys right now … it takes about 425 attacks to do it.
-
get it!
- - -
The Women’s race was won by Natasha Perry of VeloBella. Natasha is one of those huge talents that just doesn’t really know it. Ah well … still it was so very, very satisfying to see her up on that podium. Great win with a monstrous jump out of the final corner.
But apparently Natasha was told she really needs to work on her victory salootin’. So, VB vixen Laura Sanchez recommended going style like Brum.
egads.
- - -
In the men’s p1/2 … it was a handful of cats going 400mph in the first few laps that shattered most the field and took me, personally, into the pain bucket. For the first race back in about a month … that was a doozy.
Jackson Stewart won the bugger in a sprint after he and a group of hardies had lapped the field at least once. But, i tucked my tail and went home before that ever happened. just plain ugly on the bike out there, for me. But great racing.
- - - - -
Up next? Why it’s NorCal Masters of the GeezerVerse champyships in Minden this week. but then again, there’s that track race up in Seattle …
-
July 21st, 2008 at
Front wheel flying is pretty wild, but the “use the other guys bike as a launch ramp to pull the skate move off the boards” by the guy in red/white was pretty impressive.
can’t believe nobody was hurt in the melee….I wonder what caused the guy in black to pull such a nutbag move….tough to tell from the video
July 21st, 2008 at
Looked like a bar hook to me, he came down into the lane that wasn’t his and the rider below couldn’t go much lower but was traveling faster being below and the bars hooked pulling the wheel sideways.
Was cool to watch knowing no one was seriously hurt….
That SLO race was lots-o-fun, I watched it last year but didn’t race, super fun course to race, would make a great twilight….
July 21st, 2008 at
The lady that put on the SLO Crit is Shaba w/ Nimble Creative… hopefully this crit will keep bringing people into the downtown so we can keep it going… and keep our downtown association happy!
I hope to see way more people next year!
July 21st, 2008 at
Cool I can put it on the list…wasnt going to with the
recent crashing.
July 21st, 2008 at
sorry about my typing… I’m horrible on a keyboard, on a cell phone I’m hopeless. think of it as a challenge. if you can figure out what I am talking about then you can probably learn Chinese in no time flat.
lots of falling. at least a dozen down at high speed in various events. no real injuries. everyone bounced back up like super-balls and good luck and a lot of fitness kept all the bones and sockets in the right spots.
good weekend. hope you (mike and everyone else) can make it next time.
San Jose Folks rocked ever race and every field. Some winnings, always top 5.
ciao,
giovanni
July 21st, 2008 at
i’m cashing in some serious hippocrit chits….
but i love crash videos (especially if everyone is ok and it’s not my girl in it).
i’m going to hell
July 21st, 2008 at
and SLO as a twilight would be f’ing mayhem.
holeee crap. that would be so rad.
can i still use the word ‘rad’?
July 21st, 2008 at
Sheezus Mikey, you could’ve mentioned Sweet G beating Nolan at the line, I know we’re old dudes and all, but that is quite an accomplishment.
July 21st, 2008 at
naw baby … sweetG gets his own post.
“Seximen of NorCal”
.
… you’ll be in there, too, bernie. just have to find the right angle of you in a pic. some of them, well…
July 21st, 2008 at
To add to P1/2 report: Bosch, Justin, Rand, Jackson, and Matthis lapped us ONCE. Think there was a McGuire rider too.
Matthis got off the front again with around 10 laps to go, and we had to work to reel him back in. It was me and Viktor trying to lead our guys out, but Jackson was able to out kick both of them.
July 21st, 2008 at
I soooo need to check out the SLO race at some point - racing or spectating. Good excuse to visit the parentals.
July 21st, 2008 at
you better make that a head shot of bernie….a rear shot for-get-about-it…we taught Sweet G all he knows…… jesus chong
July 22nd, 2008 at
‘Seximen of NorCal’? Thats’ funny!
I’ll send you one of me lying on my side, like Burt Reynolds in Cosmo about 400 years ago, but you have to promise to airbrush out my belly, love handles, and face. To get a good pic of me, just stand really really far away, like in Colorado or something.