The Blue Train and synchronized critting

The Tour de Gap was eventful to say the least. First off, the Paul Tracy Team from Las Vegas was in full force with Louie Amelburu and Mark Schaeffer at the wheel...They brought the A-team, and the team was large... with that I would like to focus on one stage in particular... the crit.

Note- this blog has always been intended to be an observation of racing and racers, not on me, but I must use a first person perspective to give a clear picture of tactics played out perfectly... and this will be done in bullet points for effect...

Paul Tracy shows up with a lot of gunslingers for the 35/45 masters categories.

• and yes, they are representing with some cat 1's...
• and yes, they employ great tactics
• and yes, these riders are willing to sacrifice at anytime for the sake of the team.
• and yes, these riders are good, very good.
• and they came with the full aramada of Paul Tracy signifigant others- PTG (Paul Tracy Groupies) generally hanging around the Paul Tracy Mobile and being great fans... to everyone.

To the crit- bottom line this was a lesson in tactics played out to perfection...we will refer to it as synchronized critting. The course was small, tight and fast with a funky corner...encompassing roughly one city block, so you knew where everyone was- and here is where it gets good...follow along...

Scott Allen was sitting in 3rd, and I was in 5th... with P.T. dudes, Louie 1st, Mike Anderson 2nd and Jon Edwards 4th... so what do they do- of course isolate Scott and I... Scott had 2 dudes with him on the break, I had 3 or 4 with me behind... it was like a clock with the little hand going slower than the big one...after a series of attacks they dropped Scott, and he was isolated exactly on the opposite end of the course from me (to the tee as far away as possible) my P.T. men were pacing me appropriately to make this happen, always waiting for Louie and Mike to come around, I knew this, I also knew that here would come the attacks... so I only had one choice, suicide on the bike! I looked back and said to Jim Robbins, "well it looks like I'm dead meat, so I am going to attack until I implode" which I did lap after lap until with perfect timing, just when I popped, all the P.T. guys were together in one big blue train...going fast, very fast...

The point is, any team can show up en-force, but to put it together like that was just poetry in motion, and yes, the other team's riders not mentioned were also strewn all over the course...on top of this there were super savvy tactics and the power to see it through for the other 2 road stages...even though I was on the other end, I respected the hell out of what they were doing...

So for the second time in one week, new members of the Hornet Hall of Fame, the entire Paul Tracy Team and sig... others, Paul, buy 'em each a case of Heinie's for that one... they deserve it!

Tomorrow, Kirsten Kotval, Chuck Collins, the Claw, Don Armstrong, Cat 1,2,3 women and last but not least Andrey Yarbrough.

Dave Z and Kaylee

Ok, today I was already going to write about end of the season burn-out, and not to forget to count your blessings for just being healthy enough to ride... to many times we get caught up in racing and forget that we are really fortunate...

Then I read Stormin Norman Sr's (Mr Clean) blog and I get all charged up again... Story goes Z-man threw his bottle at the feed zone nailing little Kaylee, obviously upsetting her greatly. Z-man found out about it and promptly makes a phone call directly to Kaylee to apologize...

I can't imagine what it's like being Z around here trying to mind his own business and train. And for anyone who knows him, he's a bit off center in wit in the first place, and secondly tries to be somewhat reclusive. Yet when a mistake occurs he does the right thing and picks up the phone for a little local girl.

Dave, you know you have a ton of support around here, we all dig when you bury the Euro's in a prolog or TT, or for that matter wear yellow... but that is nothing compared to the phone call. As I tell my son, anyone can develop talent, but those who display class are the real deal's. The phone call is what did it for me, you are the real deal.

My newest entry in the Hornet Hall of Fame, Dave Z for doing the right thang! Good job and thanks for making my day! Damn, I'm really psyched about this one, can ya tell?

B.H.

Ok it's the blonde joke competition!

Before I get jumped on for this one... everyone knows I can take a verbal beating... so the jokes on you this time... and please feel free to send in your best blonde jokes... but remember keep the verbiage somewhat kid friendly, I don't want to tramatize the young cat 5's or anything...

I'll open the proceedings up with these...

> > A married couple was asleep when the phone rang at 2 in the morning.
> > The wife (undoubtedly blonde), picked up the phone, listened a moment
> > and said, "How should I know, that's 200 miles from here!" and hung up.
> > The husband said, "Who was that?"
> >
> > The wife said, "I don't know! It was some woman wanting to know if
> > the coast is clear."
> >



> > What did the blonde ask her doctor when he told her she was pregnant?
> >
> > "Is it mine?"
> >
> > `?*:-.,_,.-:*?`?*:- ,_,.-:*?`?*:-.,_,.-:*?`?*:-
> >
> > Bambi, a blonde in her fourth year as a UCLA freshman, sat in her US
> > government class. The professor asked Bambi if she knew what Roe vs. Wade
> > was about. Bambi pondered the question then finally said, "That was the decision
> > George Washington had to make before he crossed the Delaware "
> >
> >*:-.,_,.-:*?`?*: -.,_,.-:*?`?*:
> >
> >
> > Returning home from work, a blonde was shocked to find her house
> > ransacked and burglarized. She telephoned the police at once and
> > reported the crime.
> >
> > The police dispatcher broadcast the call on the radio, and a K-9 unit,
> > patrolling nearby was the first to respond. As the K-9 officer approached
> > the house with his dog on a leash, the blonde ran out on the porch,
> > shuddered at the sight of the cop and his dog, then sat down on the
> > steps.
> >
> > Putting her face in her hands, she moaned, "I come home to find all my
> > possessions stolen. I call the police for help, and what do they do?
> > They send me a BLIND policeman."


Alright send em this way, I know you have good one's. P-man, you can even use a personal example, maybe start with "blonde with a beard..."

Good luck, Hornet

Blistering descent!

Got up at the crack of dawn to do Little C.C. this morning... went into a fairly strong head wind... needless to say I was ready to go in the other direction by the end.

I was just going down minding my business, kind of zoning out when I decided to pedal. I thought my chain came off because nothing was happening, and I was probably doing 130 rpms... so I look down and my chain is on the big ring and the 11 cog... then I look at the computer and it reads 63mph and I wasn't even trying! I love tailwinds on descents. It's like a killer ride at Magic mountain or something...

Motopacing the Geraldizer

Was on the Suzuki 650 DR Enduro yesterday coming home from the grind when I came upon Gerald Hunsaker on his Willier...

Had my brain bucket on when I yelled to him get behind me as I proceeded down the breakdown lane on Wasatch... He was game and went hard for a long time, then I slowed down and pulled next to him... guess he didn't know Hornet's like motorcycles too... anyway it was kinda cool how he blindly just followed some dude on a big purple and yellow beast and just dug deep...

So the next time you see Hunsaker tell him you know his secret to speed...

Near death experience.

The Huntsville 100 was eventful to say the least...

Was trying to catch Zan at the turnaround going hard...signalled to the official by twirling my right hand in a circle to make sure... he did it back, then he began to yell at a car behind me to slow down, and indicated that I was going to pull a U-ee... I cornered fast and then a motorcycle passed me at about 60 just missing me by an inch, giving the official a coronary... I didn't really think about it because I was so focused on Zan, but on the drive home I got a bit freeked over it... so please make sure you ALWAYS do a quick check back over your shoulder, and another to oncoming traffic at turnarounds... I know it is common sense, but in the heat of a race...

It's great to have Zan back in form, he put on a clinic going at 1 mile in...Zan never makes excuses, always rides hard and is a model of class, he is a bikemissle, with the fajizzle, and one of my favorite dudes, with Porter and the crew, that is one formidable club... congrats Z2-man.

To the guy who Nascar-ed me today during my ride with the Claw, this bud isn't for you! Your diatribe about "lycra wearing pansy TdF wannabe's" was truely awe-inpiring, just get it straight, when referring to me- it's correctly stated "lycra wearing pansy TdF wannahornet" Jack. I truely hope I scared the bejesus out of you... By the way, side note... he was wearing some of those Sear's bought polyester pants that expand at the waist (I think they are called Sansibelt)... anyway guess it takes one to know one... let's see what to wear, since I can't wear my leather chaps on the ride, I'll just pick lycra shorts over my circa 1973 polyester trousers 9 times out of 10, ya think?

Barloworld's Cox dies following surgery

This is sad... does Barloworld supply insurance for it's employee's (racers)... this is obviously job related... cycling is dangerous, obviously, here is another example that I was not familiar with...

Big up's to Robbie Hunter for financing his teammates surgery, but once again where was Barloworld? You can read about this here... http://www.velonews.com/news/fea/13033.0.html