NorCal Cycling News

Back-to-back downtown criteriums. Take a moment to savor those words before we get into the nitty gritty of the weekend: back-to-back downtown criteriums.

Now to the racing itself. Saturday night we had the San Rafael Twilight. Great venue, deceptively hard race. On paper there is nothing special about the course, but in practice racers are left with nowhere to hide & no chance to recover. It is call your mommy and cry brutal.

While Hernando’s prognostications weren’t exactly spot on, there was still some damn fine racing to be seen. The big boys came down to a field sprint, with former CalBerry Ken Hanson of Team Type 1 taking the win in front of Rahsaan Bahati himself, with Steve Reaney wearing the stars & bars rounding out the podium. A break of four including Chris Jones of TT1 and Justin Fraga of Webcor/Alto Velo was away for a good chunk of the race, only getting pulled back with 4 to go. Now, I’m sure somebody who knows what they’re talking about can give a much better analysis than I can, so instead I’m going to take a minute to talk up Justin Fraga and the Webbies.

The guy has flown mostly under the radar this year, showing up at a couple crits to back up his boys in green but not showing that trademark fire and brimstone he can spew like nobody else. Frankly, I was wondering whether we’d see that side of him again, but after this weekend I feel confident saying that JFraga is back and itching to crush nuts. This is a great thing for Webcor and especially for their usual breakaway whore Rand Miller, since alone each of them rides like one person, but together they ride like six guys. Somebody explain that math. In any case, it was excellent to see Fraga pouring himself into that break Saturday night, and again on Sunday in Lodi. It’s guys like these who leave everything they’ve got out on the course who keep the races exciting. Now if only the greenies could find themselves a field sprinter…

The women’s race was all about Kat Carroll. She rode herself inside out, off the front solo for over half the race, ticking off lap after wicked lap as everybody wondered when the damn lap cards were going to come out. With only handful of laps to go, her gap came down from 20+ seconds to a measly eight, and it looked like all that work might have been in vain. With two to go and the gap still looking a bit shaky, PB & Co. teammate Hanan Alves-Hyde took a risk with the remaining seconds and went off the front, dangling like a carrot between Kat & the charging field. Only Mary Maroon from Touchstone Climbing followed, timing it perfectly to take second at the line. Hanan’s risk paid off for third place.

(Photo stolen from Bob Cullinan of www.CycleTo.com. More great photos at the site, go check it out.)

On Sunday we had Delta Velo’s Lodi CycleFest criterium. In its second year, this race has everything you could ask for: community support, huge prize purses, a super-cool downtown venue with a cobbled section, neutral support from Williams Wheels, great announcing, free food and beer for the racers, and a whole lot of heat. Unfortunately I missed a lot of the men’s race thanks to that free beer, but as mentioned above I saw JFraga in a break of 5 (including Ryan Parnes of Yahoo, JD Bergman of Clif Bar, and a Williams rider who I believe was dropped - apologies to those I couldn’t identify, put it in the comments & I will give you your credit). They were caught with not many to go, and another small break, including - you guessed it - Rand Miller, got away in the closing laps. A few guys made it back up to the final break before the end of the race, making a lead group of two TT1 riders and around eight singles. Team Type 1 doubled their luck for the weekend with another win.

Edit: Commenter Josh points out that I was remiss in not giving props to Rob “Hooptie” Evans for taking 2nd place on Sunday. He made the final break and manhandled the sprint while wearing borrowed, mismatched shoes and pedals. Why would he be riding that kind of frankenstein equipment, you ask? Apparently he lost shoe in Big Red, the Montano Velo/RH Villa/BPG/what are they now? party bus, while letting loose post-race on Saturday. Good on ya, Rob and apologies for the omission.

The women’s race was a battle of the titans, Maroon vs. Kachorek. After a flurry of attacks from Dolce Vita, Touchstone Climbing and Wells Fargo, Emily Kachorek of the Wells Fargo team re-entered the race after an early mishap that sent her from the back stretch to the neutral pit. She attacked shortly after getting back into the race, catching the field in a lull and taking one teammate with her.  Mary Maroon was the only rider able to bridge the gap, showing that her early-season dominance and selection to the Nature Valley Pro Ride was no fluke: Mary Maroon is the real deal. I will not be the least bit shocked if the proseys start calling on her soon. She’s got the talent, drive and heart to really make it.

Maroon and Kachorek rotated through and built their gap, dropping the second Wells rider in the process. Kate Landau from Third Pillar, Team Vegan rider Emily Thurston, Los Gatos’ Mary-Ellen Ash and Kate Ligler from Dolce Vita tried to bridge again and again, but there was no getting past Touchstone and Wells Fargo riders keeping the race in check. Ultimately, Maroon bested Kachorek in the sprint with Ash taking the field sprint for third.

Next up: the Watsonville, Colavita and Berkeley Bike Club criteriums.

Nationals dominated by West Coast Mafia

There are two teams that took center stage for this past weekend of racing - the PeanutButter Jammin’ ladies and the hardmen of California Giant Berries.  These two teams are excellent example programs for other outfits around the nation to look at and draw inspiration from.

CalGiant Berries is, hands down, the best amateur racing program in the United States … maybe ever.  The team, led for over 10 years now by Anthony Gallino, has invested in promoting riders into the professional ranks, consistently spread resources to Norcal grassroots events, and engaged in targeted sponsorship of many critical US national level events.

The success stories of this year’s National Championships were perfect encapsulations of the Berry program’s goals and investments.  Andrew Talansky won the U23 time trial championship, and in doing so, posted the fastest overall TT time of the event. It was soon thereafter announced that CalGiant would be promoting another rider to the professional ranks, as Jonathan Vaughters of the Garmin-Transitions team signed Talansky to a 3-year deal beginning Jan 1, 2011.  Talansky will finish out the 2010 season with the Berries … and there will be few happier than team owner Gallino in seeing another of his prospects picked up by a professional squad.

With the TT title now in the hands of CalGiant - that makes this team owners of TT, road race, and criterium national championships over the years.  Add to these titles the many cyclocross championships they’ve won - and you get a testament to the amazing talent, depth, and diversity of this program.

A fitting reward for years of work and suffering was the crowning of Steve Reaney as the 2010 National Criterium Champion.  All of us who have raced with Steve up and down the state have known that this was a title he was destined to win - but, it is very, very sweet to finally see him grab that brass ring.

Reaney teamed up with Jared Barrileaux to smashmouth this year’s Natz Crit … much like Reaney and Ken Hanson did for the win a couple years back.   They were able to overcome a strong challenge from Yahoo cycling and the many other teams from around the nation to secure another title for the Berry mantle.

There was talk of Reaney “retiring” after this year’s racing … but, thankfully that stars and bars jersey will reinvigorate the hardman and he’ll be out there showing our region proud in 2011.  As it should be.
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PeanutButter squashes

This transition has been brewing for a few months now … but, the 2010 US Nationals has shown that the Peanut Butter & Co program has turned a corner and shifted into overdrive.  The change in … confidence was evident the first few weeks after world champion Kristen Armstrong joined the team as Director.  And ever since her addition, the team has gained momentum … breaking into a full gallop now and heading full steam towards becoming the premier women’s professional cycling team in the United States.

The HTC-Columbia team is a better funded program, drawing in strength from a large international pool of riders - but the homegrown talents of PeanutButter and the fierce dedication of the riders to each other and the success of the program have them stalking HTC’s top ranking and hungry to overtake them … soon.

Winning 2010 national titles for the PeanutButter jammers were:

Mara Abbott - road race
Sinead Miller - road race & time trial (u-23)
Shelley Evans (Olds) - criterium
Coryn Rivera - time trial, road race & criterium (Juniors)
Olivia Dillon - road race & time trial (Ireland)

Also racing extremely well with to-10 performances were Kat Carroll, Lauren Tamayo, and Ruth Winder.

With these phenomenal results - this program is now poised to draw in more advertising dollars as businesses will see the trajectory of success and media exposure strongly evidenced by the team.

Manager Nicola Cranmer has bled sweat and hammered hard against the wall of a male-dominated cycling industry and media pool … and her dedication and fortitude have begun to wear down the nay-sayers and toss aside all road blocks.

The 2011 season will require more work, more sacrifice - but this team is ready … and hungry for it.
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And Newz from the homefront…

The Chico Stage Race results aren’t up yet - but I know that the Women’s elite road race was won by Susannah Breen of Wells Fargo.  The Wells Fargo women put on a brave display of attacking to try and overpower the time trailing champion, Molly Van Houweling.

MVH had to put in a solid 60 minutes of chasing in the epic 90 mile road race to regain contact with the Wells Fargo driven breakaway attempt of Breen and Cody Graf.  And it would be Breen sprinting to the win for her first victory of the year and showing she will be a serious factor in the upcoming climbing events of the Cal Cup season.

But MVH would put in an afterburner time trial effort and fend off all-comers in the criterium to secure another stage race title for her impressive 2010 season. Kudos.

The Burlingame Criterium was won by 3rd Pillar’s Martina Patella, just over the Los Gatos firecracker Mary Ellen Ash and consistently powerful Laurie Furman of IPass.  These women are showing improving form as the summer sets in, and as the professional teams of PB&Co, TIBCO, and Vera Bradley begin the arduous travels of NRC and UCI event chasing - we will see a lot of chances for the regional squads like 3rd Pillar, Los Gatos, Metromint, Touchstone Climbing, Dolce Vita, IPass, and Wells Fargo gaining more podium exposure.  Should be a great summer.

The men’s elite Burlingame event was won by Greg Pattison, following up on his field sprint victory at the Pacific Grove Butterfly Crit.  A pure sprinter, Pattison has shown some fierce kicks these past few weeks and it will be interesting to see if he will be able to withstand the heat and hill of the District Championships set for Vacaville in late August.   But, it’s hard to think that Vacaville won’t be anything other than a ground-shaking battle of titans between the Yahooligans and CalGiant.

Don’t miss that show!
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Correct yo’self

Got a decent bit of keyboard lashing for my inaccurate reflections of Tour d’ Nez happenings in yesterday’s post … so, needed to voice a few words in response.
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Also got jibed for not editing in pictures to the vids, having a crap backdrop, and for being incomprehensibly idiotic.

… what ya gonna do.  I’m lazy.

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Nationals Now!

Today there are quite a few Junior USA criterium champ jerseys up for grabs … with tomorrow being the big TT day.  The Time Trial fields are stacked this year and there will be a lot of NorCal hopefuls digging deep into the cave to try and dig up some treasure.

Luck to all!

My pics are for both Cal Giant and the Yahooligans to put in stellar performances all week long.  We’ve seen a huge turn of speed recently from Cal Giant’s Jesse Moore … but, bighit Phil Mooney is going to be a thrusterbuster at the Natz TT this year and I hope to see both at the top end of the results.

Updates as soon as possible.  See you ’round the ’bout.
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Nez, Nevada City, and Pesky blahblah

Howdy folks ~ trying out a video post.   Apologies for the slow VIMEO interface … but, the video was over the YouTube 10min barrier and i don’t have the stamina to do two takes.  So this first vidpost will be hosted on crappy slow VIMEO. Whenever I watch through VIMEO - I pause the vid, let it upload completely, then try and not cringe when it still chops up. Anyway, if I do any other vidposts, they’ll be patched through the youboobtubes.
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Norcalcyclingnews.com - June 22, 2010 from Michael Hernandez on Vimeo.

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And … didn’t have time to scratch on about how cool Nature Valley Grand Prix was this year.  Big battles by Alison Starnes and Scott Zwazinksi to keep their leaders’ jerseys … but overcome by Shelley Evans and Rory Sutherland. Great freakin’ race.

I’m darkhorse picking Starnes to win the Elite TT championships this year.
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Well - let me know if i should scrap the vidposts.  Lates,
m

At this point I’m sure your ready for some non-track related posts.  Let me get this out of my system and then I will move onto important topics such as which million dollar bike won up at Sattely, or the injustice of the LARPD CX series being discontinued.

Overall the weekend was dominated by Jame Carney.  Carney said he was feeling sluggish going into Saturday night but ended up “Riding like a swan.”  To be frank, I don’t think that the expression was the most masculine way to describe a series of ass kickings Carney laid down on the NorCal (and West Coast for that matter) track community.  Ben Jacques Mayne even showed up to give it a go and Carney swooped both the Scratch race and Points race from Hellyer’s BMOC.  BJM does win for best TVC Twitter post… here is the quote, not sure how Twitter copyrights work so here it goes, “Dave McCook for the win if there’s any justice in the world!” you don’t hear that too much…

There were additionally dominant performances from the other T-Town/ADT regulars in attendance Laura McCaughey, David Espinoza, and Jimmy Watkins.  It was enough to give Hellyer an inferiority complex.  Sure, I guess our big guns (aside from BJM who probably did a 100 mile ride in the AM to prep for NVGP) like Shelly Evans and Daniel Holloway are out of town being all pro and stuff, but the T Town domination of the elite events sure made it clear that the next generation of Hellyer-ites need to step up.  If they don’t then I’m either going to have to step up my psychological warfare against T Town or move to a different track.

Luckily we saw a few standout performances on Saturday that give one hope.  Beth Newell lived up to her potential and lost a narrow battle in the Miss and Out (2nd) and Scratch Race (3rd) to get her on the top steps of the podium.   Pete Billington put himself on the national map with a third place in the Sprints against much more seasoned competition.  And the biggest pull of the night has to be Daniel Farinha who rode a fantastic points race, with junior gearing i might add, to get third place against a top notch field filled with pro’s, journeymen and the various ronin of west coast tracks.  Farinha just became the Luke Skywalker of Hellyer Velodrome… let’s hope he’s got another year of high school before college ruins him. (UPDATE: Word on the street is Farinha graduated on Friday!  Hope you pick a college with a good cycling program!)  Even though they weren’t wins each one of these riders put it down and moved up a notch with their performances.

Next up at the track… More crazy Friday Nite Fights on June 25.  Wear a superhero costume and get a free beer or something.

It was a warm day down at Hellyer but the racing gods looked down kindly at us visiting the temple today and slowed the wind down to a soft tropical breeze as the racing started.  There was plenty of drink and food flowing, and Hernado was in fine form as he found “The Voice” to keep the crowd entertained and buzzing.   Here are a few highlights that stood out in my mind.

Montano Velo Keirin - Jimmy Watkins showed up with his Felt team entourage and just schooled the field in the Finale, finishing with such a lead that he was able to easily raise his arms in a victory salut.  The real revelation of the race was Sam Milroy who just dismantled his heat with a win about about 10 meters and then hung in the Finale to finish third.  Sam may have just moved up from being a local hot shot to West Coast phenom.

Jame Carney - I dunno if he is smarter, fitter, or just luckier but Carney really showed the field that he is a master tonight.  Carney won his Keirin heat, won the Miss and Out and then lapped the field in the Madison.   You might have well called it “Track School By Jame Carney” out there.

SportVelo Women’ Points Race - This was easily the most exciting race to watch. Shelly Evans was a marked woman so team mate Ruth Winder cleverly took the first sprint before Hanan Alves-Hyde launched herself into what looked like a suicide attack.  Hanan got a half a lap as the field waited for a reaction but nothing came - all eyes stayed on Evans who was content to play her own game of poker.  Hanan dug for the next ten laps hanging on with a quarter to half a lap lead to win the sprint but she held a tenuous lead.  Vanderkitten Reither bridged whcih was enough to give Hanan a break and lap the field before the last sprint.  A great gamble and tactical race by Hanan who has been on the comeback trail for most of the year.  Evans won the last sprint putting her in third place making a great pay day for the Peanut Butter riders.

Mt Hood Cycling Classic

Molly Van Houweling has gotten the big GC win we all knew she had building in her legs for the 2010 season. MVH won the opening TT down in Arizona’s Valley of the Sun … but sprint bonuses bumped her off the podium.

Mt Hood, however, is a race all about sustained power and willingness to suffer … on climbs, across windswept flats, and through the wet and snow.  And MVH was on top of her game, winning the TT, defending on the mountain stages, and coming away with a prestigious stage race title.

The final criterium was dumping rain … and for anyone who has ever raced the downtown Hood River criterium ~ you know that the decision by the officials to not have the stage count to GC was one that saved many collarbones and carbon fiber frames.

Oregon stage racing … best in the country. Hands down.
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Paul Mach gave another strong showing for the BISSELL boyz … but, it was the UHC cage-fighters that took the GC at Hood with strong team riding and a stellar time trial put in by the Dutchman de Maar.

As Mach writes on his site … a bad day can make the best look like a pwnt amateur.

Mach gave it full gas to defend his 2009 title, but came up short against a full UHC squad very willing to redeem themselves for another somewhat lackluster Tour of California showing.

But a rider showing a huge amount of luster and bluster at Hood was Echelon’s Nate English.  English has been ripping every climb available in NorCal these past couple years, and it was clear that he went into the 2010 Hood River Classic with massive form and a hungry appetite for suffering.

Just about every VeloNews article about the race was forced to mention English’s name at some point, cuz the boy was ripping the front end of the race like somebody was paying him to do it.

And hopefully somebody will get the sense to do so … soon.
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Philly and Tulsa … NorCal style

NorCal based professional teams TIBCO, Colavita/Baci, Vera Bradley, and Peanut Butter represented themselves very well on the two big events on the east coast last weekend.

The Tulsa Tough was held in absolutely sweltering temperatures, and the crowds that came out were ready to party southern style … with bbq’s, garden hoses, and veneer thin wardrobes.

hellyeah.

TIBCO’s Amanda Miller won the opening stage in the Tough with a wickedly timed solo attack late in the race.  Peanut Butter’s Coryn Rivera won a stage and vied for the overall omnium victory, but would have to settle for second behind the consistent sprinting of MSU’s Jennifer Purcell.

Cari Higgins also won a stage for Peanut Butter,  taking her first road win of the year.  But again, it was the consistent Purcell who would place on the podium in all events to take the win over the two NorCal based pro squads.

In Lyne’s picture on the right … you’ll see not only Higgins taking the win, but McGuire Cycling’s Sterling Magnell watching from the crowds.

Very cool ~ recon’ing the sprint, or just straight-up interested in women’s cycling … thanks for checking them out, Magnus.
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Philly is … the big beast of US cycling.  The race used to be the US professional championships for men, but now has been relegated to a prestigious one-day event for the boyz … which is what it always has been for the women.

Ina Teutenberg has won at Philly many times and was the clear favorite going into this weekend’s event.  However, with TIBCO’s Brooke Miller having had her most successful European spring campaign to date, Peanut Butter’s Shelley Evans riding a wave of 2010 wins, and Webcor having momentum with Kat Mattis’s win in Europe and the recent addition of big-time firepower with former word champ Amber Neben … Philly was up for grabs in a way that it hasn’t been in years.

The race was one of attrition, with all teams pulling out the claws early and with ferocity.  But it would be a group sprinting it out for the final, with Evans trying an early jump to steal wind from the other sprinters’ sail.  Teutenberg, using her experience and patience, rode her HTC teammates wheel until the line was within spitting distance and then hit the afterburners hard to sweep past Evans at the line.  Brooke Miller would finish 4th, just behind Colavita/Baci’s Theresa Clif-Ryan.

So three out of the top-4 riders at Philly were from NorCal, or NorCal based teams.  Another bit of evidence that our region is the leading edge of women’s riding in the United States, if not the world.
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Speaking of Women’s Racing …

The Tour de Nez has $10K in purse for the women’s field.  The Reno-based race has been showing a strong evolution to offer strong racing for women in their historically male-dominated racing program.

With MUCH more prize money available to the men … it’s time folks start looking to enter into the omnium for the Nez.  You can find plenty of inexpensive hotels out in the Reno area and the weekend of altitude efforts will reinvigorate your summer racing season.

And remember, this is a race that gets national exposure … so, if you want to generate some media hits for your squad, and be seen by some of the top professional outfits ~ register today and make your plans to race the Nez.

If this past weekend of racing in NorCal was any indication … there are a number of teams and riders fending off the June fatigue and ready to uncork some big results this month.

The Dash for Cash race was won by Webcor’s Joel Robertson … and if he heads up to race in the Masters events in Reno, you’d be a fool to bet against him.  But the elite events are all about the youngsters, and if there was a man I’d say worth watching up in Reno it’d be Metromint’s Ethan Atkins.

Atkins was a monster on Sunday in the Pacific Grove Butterfly Criterium.  The polka dotted powerhouse went off the front lap after lap, displaying both fitness and courage.  I haven’t seen a man work that hard off the front of a race since back in the day when Jared Barrileaux was first chewing on necks and busting chainrings.

Look for big things from Atkins in the coming months.
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On the women’s side, Amber Rais always tries to head back to her hometown of Reno this time of year and will be a strong favorite to garner results at the Nez.  But a very on-form rider who can challenge is Third Pillar’s Jasmin Hurikino.  The rider from Brisbane may still be a teenager, but she is riding with the cagey, tenacious tactics of a veteran.

Hurikino was able to power away from the field at the Pacific Grove Butterfly crit with Webcor/Sportvelo rider Haley Juno-Galdes.  The two worked well off the front and had one of the best two-up sprints I’ve seen in a long time.  Juno-Galdes’ teammate, Lauren Hecht won the Dash for Cash on Saturday … a good weekend showing for the team and leads them well into the summer’s racing calendar - especially a crit-friendly omnium like the Nez.

But with her race fitness and willingness to suffer … I see Hurikino as having a strong shot at taking home big chunks of change from the Nez prizebag.
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Lastly ~ come out and have some free beer and food at the Hellyer Velodrome this weekend.  Both Friday and Saturday, the Testarossa Velodrome Challenge is taking place and you will be amazed at how cool, fast-paced, and butt-puckeringly daring these track racers are.

See you there.
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Authors Note: I don’t normally like to get involved in personal disputes but i felt the Hellyer name should be tossed around with more gravitas.  I know Newell is working on a rebuttal, i just couldn’t wait long enough.  Remember TVC is Friday, June 11-Saturday, June 12, 6 PM till close, at Hellyer Velodrome in San Jose

Dear Rand,

I enjoy your blog, i really do.  Specifically i appreciate how you keep your posts entertaining, short, and frequent.  You can ease up with the short jokes, but lines like… “I’m aware there’s a track race on Saturday, but I’m not quite ready for that just yet; I haven’t had time to rob a hipster in the Mission District, so I’m still without a fixed-gear bike” are excellent and worthy of your acclaim.

I fully encourage you to come to the track given the paltry crit options this weekend. You should definitely come to the Testarossa Challenge, which i am hence shortening to Testarossa Challenge, from  it’s original name Testarossa Velodrome Challenge at Hellyer Velodrome cause it sounds redundant, as a I believe I can make the match sprint between yourself and Beth Newell happen.  I suggest Saturday at 5 PM - I”ve got some pull with the organizers.  Specifically, if they don’t do what i say then there will be no beer.  As it happens there will be a lot of beer Friday night.  If you refuse me… there will be no beer Saturday night.  If there is no beer Saturday night lots of people will be angry.  They might even just be angry at you Rand.  That could be bad… cause lots of people chasing you might look like a scene from Under the Rainbow, and yet… that could be funny.  I haven’t decided.

There will be lots of action Friday and Saturday so even if you refuse to race Beth this coming Saturday, which i might add,  i think you should do… since she’s peaking or some such thing, there will be a of spectating to be had.  The track you see, is an ever evolving ring of entertainment.  It’s like the professional wrestling of cycling… well actually those weird games they play in gyms in Germany is really like the professional wrestling of cycling, so let’s say its like the Utlimate Fighting of cycling.   Famous east coast brawlers like Jame Carney will be there, i mean, you never know when one of these guys might come unglued and do something crazy.   Sure, i am prone to hyperbole but who wouldn’t be a little crazy to ride the Keirin.

Most of the races are “endurance” type of stuff, which the meaty sprinter types, i lovingly call them “The Heavies” , avoid like a Sarah Palin press conference.  Unfortunately the TVC, which by my previous logic i should now call the TC, had somewhat arcane qualification process.  As a result we are drawing three types of riders… money hungry pros, fast qualified locals, and a few PhD candidates… sounds like a crowd you could groove with, the PhD candidates that is.

Had i known your challenge yesterday i probably could have scored you some VIP tickets but @ironclm snagged the last pair.  As a result, you will not be able to go to the infield, and hobnob with the upper class over a glass of Testarossa wine and hors devours.  Instead you will have to mingle with the common man, in my neck of the woods, i’m the person with two kegs on the backstretch, between the cargo containers passing out cups of beer, bags of pretzels, and airhorns.

Worried we won’t have enough to talk about over a beer?  Here are some icebreakers for us…

1. TVC Poster - Awesome in its badness.  One year we had girls on the poster dancing like it was a rave.  That was the best one by far in its horribleness.  I made the one with the girls btw.

2.  Are track guys/gals hot or shapped kinda funny.  I go back and forth on this one.

3. Why do people refuse a free airhorn when i offer them one.  I find that odd…don’t you?

4. Will D_Holla smack me in the head if i lean over into the track to far? Answer is FO SHO if he can make it… i’d just do that to get a quick laugh.

5.  Make a beer pyramid with our empty cups… its like college, but now we are better at math which we all know is important for building pyramids.

6. Marvelling/Mocking the last thing Hernando said.  He’s like the Shel Silverstein of race announcers. I go just for the poetry he spits out as the race progresses. Favorite phrase of all time? “Ride the Lizard”

So there you have it… let’s make this match sprint happen.  Racing starts at 6 PM which gives you from 4-5 to get warmed up and some track legs going.  And don’t be going all crazy on your Saturday ride.  You are going to needs some fresh legs to beat Newell.

There is no humiliation at the track, or in match sprints for that matter.  There will be only massive humiliation.   Since we should have a pretty good crowd going i think you will find the atmosphere invigorating, it not a little freaky.   All in all, it should be fun since thee will be beer, a bunch of pro’s and world champions competing, and some pretzels.  Best of luck in the sprint and hope to see you Friday and Saturday Night.

Sincerely

Hellyer