Lake Sonoma Team Featurette - The Rapid Relics

(We're doing a "featurette" of each team leading up to the Lake Sonoma 8-hour race to help further build up the hype - as if anymore hype is needed)

TEAM MEMBERS:

- Rich Henthorn - Reigning TWW WTB & Fox Cup Champion; 5th Sport 45-54 CCCX3, CCCX4; 6th Sport 45-54 CCCX2

- Mike Urbina - 1st Sport 45+ Skyline; 3rd Sport 45-49 NVDC; 27th Sport 45-49 SOC

Although they're now both racing in the 45+ category, don't let that fool you. These guys are fast. Mike has been racing pretty much since he could ride a bike not to mention has some MX background too. Damn talented rider. Rich started out the season strong but has taken a mysterious hiatus so we're not sure what to expect at Sonoma. But you can probably count on very consistent fast lap times. They're a safe bet for a podium spot, particularly with Mike sandbagging in the Sport class... :)

TWW Idol

Guess our very own Scott Schlachter has been doing a little moonlighting. Who knew this DHer had that soulful voice? He has the mop top and probably does the bad white man dance. Sounds like the perfect combination to be crowned the TWW Idol.

Katharine is still waaaay hotter though.

Quote o' the Day

"I'll check with Justin tonight about the three-some."

- Ms. Pink Fishnets in a message to me.

Groovy baby!!! Don't worry, I won't bite... haaard.

8 Hours of Lake Sonoma

Here it comes - the funnest time you'll have racing. Join TWW at Lake Sonoma for the 8 hour race put on by our friends, Billy Cross Racing.

We'll arrive Saturday, 6/24 in the early afternoon to setup camp (camping is free!) and do a pre-ride of the course. Saturday night is when the hijinks ensue - we've got some Velo Bellas committed to racing, so you know the entertainment will be top notch around the bonfire. Hopefully Nick will bring his excellent BBQ and of course there will be plenty o' Drool.

Sunday, 6/25 is race day. The cool thing about this location is that the start/finish area is where everyone hangs out all day. So you'll get to see tons o' racers cruising by - unlike Boggs where the solo people went out and we didn't see them again until the end of the day.

If you've never tried racing before, this is a great opportunity to try it out. The atmosphere is very low key and is more like a big party versus a race, and you'll receive all the encouragement in the world. Lots of time to talk to other racers as well to pick their brains, etc.

And don't forget - we'll have the custom number plates going just like at Boggs. Have some fun with your team name. Or let us come up with one for you. :)

So are you in? No team? Don't worry - we can set you up with a team. Let us know what you're looking for - competitive, fun, co-ed, freakshow, etc. Come on now, you know you want to do it. You will not regret it. Click here to read about the great time at Boggs in 2005.

Safe Passing

Oklahoma Passes Law to Protect Bicyclists

MAY 23, 2006 -- OKLAHOMA CITY, OK (BRAIN)—Bike riding in Oklahoma just got a lot safer. Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry signed Oklahoma’s Bicycle Law (HB2926), turning the bill into law. It is now a finable offense to pass a bike closer than three feet in Oklahoma.

“Governor Henry signed our new bicycle law on Friday and I believe this makes Oklahoma only the third state to have a safe-passing law and the second state in the U.S. to impose these fines,” said Ron Dougherty, Bike Mine’s operations manager. “This is a direct result the efforts of the Oklahoma Bicycle Coalition,” he added.

The bill passed an almost unanimous Oklahoma House vote—43 to one—on April 26. The new law re-defines bicycle for the purposes of the states vehicle code, eliminating restricting wheel sizes and configurations. It also eliminates confusing language as to where bicyclists should ride on the road and removes the previous state requirement that cyclists ride on sidewalks. The bill sets up fines for injury or death if a motorist hits a cyclist.

Quote of Skyline

"The bottles with smaller openings don't work very well - the seal creates a problem."

- New guy Ty on, well, umm, relieving oneself in a bottle

Well, I find the Gatorade bottles are even too small for me.

There is a god...

But does this god have to wait until 2010 to make it available?

This guy wanted to fly our colors?

Maybe he can replace Mr. Cranky...

Better hop back on your indoor tricycle and....

cause I just got my entry confirmation for Downieville......oh the hurt I'm gonna put on you Ginsing boy!!!!!

Not goodbye but see you later?

Well, we're sad to report that our own Mr. Cranky will be leaving us shortly. He's heading off to Boston so that he can be closer to the nudist camp he likes to visit in Florida.

We're going to miss the big (or little depending on what you're looking at) fella - but he did threaten us with joining the South Bay ride every once in awhile since his new job will bring him back to the Bay Area once a month or so.

You can give him a proper send off by joining Dave and several other TWWers at the TWW Appreciation Day in D-ville on 6/3-4.

Best of luck to you Dave! Thanks for all you did for TWW here (and hopefully you'll continue to fly the colors back there).

Mules, Donkeys, Burro's, etc.. they are all part of the same family.

I've always hated these stickers.. .until now:

Only Cat 2?

The end is in site, been a good week so far of meetings, but looking forward to getting home. Spoke with a fellow co-worker and she used to be a pretty serious cyclist. She said she was Cat 2, but only a woman's Cat 2. Give me a break. Fast is fast. Raced in the Tour DuPont. Her moment of glory? She was in a local circuit race in Charlotte, and grabbed onto George Hincapie's wheel on a break - she was the only one. When Georgie-boy turned around to try to get the drafting rider to take a pull, he saw her and then sat up. Come on man, you should have let her pull for a few...

Ironically, her husband is a somewhat competitor of Hincapie's clothing company - they do commercial sub-dye and semi-custom jerseys.

Liquid Courage?

So I'm not sure what it is - is it me? Do I annoy people enough that they say stupid things? Maybe I don't know when to shut my mouth. But clearly the ol' liquid courage came into play tonight at dinner.

Case #1 - okay, so two guys are playing pool at this somewhat dive-ish restaurant. They're cool and we're just joking back and forth. We even offer them some of our pizza. Then some FABWDNE (fat a$$ beret wearing drunk New Englander) joins in. Apparently he is taking his pool playing seriously. He asks one of our group to move so he can take a shot. No problem. I joked, "Now you better make it." He looked at me and mumbled something like, "I sense a challenge." After he hit a horrible shot, I said, "Nope, no challenge there." Guess he didn't think my joke was funny. He started mouthing off more about none of us putting their quarter on the table for the next game. I said to one of my co-workers, "Alrighty, give me some quarters." Well, he told me to just relax and let the guy just keep mouthing off. Clearly he was looking for trouble. Probably the best thing. I envisioned a pool cue to the back of my head after I whooped his sorry a$$.

Case #2 - so shortly after Case #1, I'm sitting at the table minding my own business since I was a bit miffed still when I hear a co-worker of mine talking about beating me in a sprint race. 50 yard dash. I was like, "Huh?!!!" Now, depending on the co-worker, it could be a challenge. I'm not a huge runner but I'm pretty darn quick. Definitely built more for speed than endurance. My co-worker? Ran track back in high school apparently. But that was like 40 years ago. Dude is 58 and walks pretty slowly. I said, "I'll beat you running backwards." Weird, unsolicited challenge. Oh well, he was too wasted to race outside in the parking lot (me in my dress shoes and him in his tennis shoes). So we're on for Thursday. Maybe the liquid courage will wear off by then and he'll come to his senses.

Or maybe it is me - I'm always the sober one so I should know what I'm saying, right? Oh well, too old to change now. Brought back memories of the softball tournament when a guy came at me with a bat during a brawl where I was the first one out of the dugout...

GOAT Spotted

Well, at least the trip to Hartford was eventful - I spotted the GOAT at LAX. Pretty cool. He was looking quite sharp, and thankfully he took the sunglasses off while inside. Don't think many people recognized him.

GOAT = Greatest Of All Time = Jerry Rice

Let's see... I've now run into Joe Montana and Jerry Rice in the airport. Things come in three, so I wonder who is next? Maybe BJM?

Just Wrong

Off to Hartford for some more double secret training...

Mountain Bike Championships Snowed Under

MAMMOTH, CA—USA Cycling is looking for a new venue for July’s National Mountain Biking Championships after learning that cyclists would need skis instead of wheels to race at the originally scheduled site, Mammoth Mountain ski resort in California.While ski areas in other parts of the country gasped for snow, a record 55 feet fell at Mammoth, and a base layer of 20 feet remained as of May 1. The last day of skiing is scheduled for July 4. “Looking at our snowpack today, I can confidently say we are unable to host a mountain bike event to the quality we are all accustomed to,” said Bill Cockroft, senior vice president of operations at Mammoth Mountain. “It was a difficult decision, but ultimately we believe we owe it to the mountain bike community to make sure the event continues at the level and standards expected by USA Cycling,” he added.Andy Lee, media coordinator for USA Cycling, said the organization is negotiating with several venues that could replace Mammoth, and that the decision will be announced shortly. The July 20-23 race dates remain unchanged

Who Knew?

Wow, just when you think you know someone, something strange turns up. The story seemed too good - white picket fence, fantastic family life, getting paid to ride bikes, nice guy, etc. However, this photo surfaced on The Smoking Gun.

Turns out BJM was leading a dual life - the FBI had been tracking him for several years, and on the street he was known as Bad Assassin Ben (BAB). He is a "person of interest" in several unresolved mysteries. He was 6th (go figure) on the FBI's Most Wanted List. He is in custody at this point - his wife turned him in after she noticed his frame pump really wasn't a frame pump - it was a carbon fiber rocket launcher. BAB is being held without bail at a top secret supermax facility due to him being a flight risk. He apparently has been approached by several European cycling teams to race for them due to his strong performance on the domestic scene.

Clearly his sponsors did not do a very thorough background check. Also, he loses points for wearing sunglasses a bit too large for his face.

Poor Goldi and Chase. Our thoughts are with them.

Kelly Bike Company Calls It Quits

Kelly Bike Company Calls It Quits

MAY 03, 2006 -- NEVADA CITY, CA —High-end production steel frame manufacturer Kelly Bike Company is closing its doors.The company will continue to take orders for any in-stock items until Friday, May 19. Those last orders are estimated to ship by Friday June 16, or once the last order is completed. Kelly will no longer take orders for any custom frame builds or assemblies and the entire business will be closed down by July 1.“If a person wants that special color and decal combination, or the popular clear over decal upgrade, this will be the last chance to get it like you like it,” said Chris Kelly, Kelly Bikes founder. “After the last order is completed and shipped the operation will be dismantled and every last item will be sold including unfinished frames, tooling, equipment and raw materials,” he added.Kelly will be auctioning a day-with-the-boss on Ebay to one lucky Kelly customer to allow them to finish off their own frame with help from the person that built it. “Of course if it looks like they are going to screw up the powder coat I’ll step in to help, but they will finish up their frame and follow me around the shop for a day,” he said.Details of the Ebay auction and auctions of remaining Kelly Bike assets to be sold on site and via online auction will be posted on the company’s website, www.kellybike.com. Anyone interested in purchasing the assets should call (530) 470-8500 or email chris@kellybike.com.

Floyd's TT position

It's like we were separated at birth...

High Altitude Training

Okay, so in my preparation for the Skyline race on 5/21, I'm up here in Lake Tahoe doing some high altitude training.

Of course, sitting here by the pool isn't raising the heart rate too much (except for when that hottie walked by).

Actually sitting in meetings all day - definitely not helping with the training. But the week in Hartford next week sitting in meetings all day should help with my fitness. Uncomfortableseatervals. Yay.

Man, that race is going to hurt. Man I'm out of shape. But at least the back feels good...