BlackBerry Ride

Riders,
So, I'm at work... between meetings and I get this email about riding a BlackBerry Ride tonight... I'm sure the invite stated it was more of a spin ride than a hammer ride... (note: the hammer falls on Tuesday Night and Saturday Morning)... the invite from THE PROMOTER offered me a chance to "spin out the leg"... you know, "they" say "recovery" is important....

I heard from another rider... who'll we'll call Mechanic Dillard, would be riding too...

So, I came home, took a power nap (I had been up since 5am)... and me the terrible-two-some in the parking lot of NS.... It should be noted that I was on the road bike and these guys were on "nothing but speed tri bikes".... NOTE: Russ the Rocket once told me riding the road bike with tri guys is like bringing a knife to a gun fight... I'll never learn!!!).... so, we start... and THE PROMOTER's back wheel was "chirping"... so, Dillard the Mechanic offered to fix it... no kidding, that guy got skills!!!!

At the BlackBerry Patch, the berries were dry... so, there was no "grazing" on fruit provided by Mother Nature... so, we kept going... on Timms Mill... Dillard launched an attack... we rode hard to catch him... on 5 Forks, there goes Dillard again... HRM red-lined and I had to drop back... so much for spinning!!!! The Promoter and Mechanic Dillard hammered hard... then, they sat up and waited... THANKS GUYS!!!

You know, for an old man, the highlight of TNR and SVR is to ride as hard as I can for as long as I can... and at times, when the A-train is soft-pedaling, I can catch a wheel.... but, when they get going, I'm off the back.... and tonight was more of the same... The Promoter-Mechanic A-train left the station!!!

but, I'm glad I did it... and will be even happier when I can ride again this Saturday...

That's my story and I'm sticking to it!!!

The Announcer

Saturday Ride

Riders,

It’s time to roll… for the last 2 SVR, we’ve had record number of riders…. This past Saturday, as the group rolled out… I couldn’t help but hum (cuz I can’t sing)…. This great tune….

Keep rollin', rollin', rollin', (wheels rolling that is...)
Though the streams are swollen,
Keep them riders rollin', rawhide. (saddle may have been made of rawhide at one time)
Through rain and wind and weather, (especially on Tuesday Night Rides)
Hell bent for leather,
Wishin' my gal was by my side.
All the things I'm missin',
Good vittles, love, and kissin', (the rewards for riding, eh?)
Are waiting at the end of my ride.

Move 'em out, head 'em up,
Head 'em up, move 'em on.
Move 'em out, head 'em up:
Rawhide.
Cut 'em out, ride 'em in,
Ride 'em in, cut 'em out,
Cut 'em out, ride 'em in:
Rawhide!
Hah! Hah! (trying to drop them if you can.... RAWHIDE)

Movin', movin', movin',
Though they're disapprovin',
Keep them riders movin', rawhide.
Don't try to understand 'em,
Just rope an' throw an' brand 'em. (just take you turn at the front)
Soon we'll be living high and wide. (actually doing the paceline thing)
My heart's calculatin', (actually, it's the HRM recording 180+ bpm)
My true love will be waitin': (with something cold to drink)
Waitin' at the end of my ride.

Okay, a peleton of first class riders like you guys aren’t exactly like a heard of cattle… but, that’s what I thought of…. RAWHIDE!!!

So, for this Saturday, we’ll start rolling at 0801 from the parking lot of New Springs… come ready to ride 44+ miles… the “plus” means maybe or maybe NOT Simms Mill Rd…. for the past 2 weekends Simms Mill HAS been included… nothing like our own little mountain stage thrown in for good measure???

So, if you’re not traveling to England & France for a 3 week long holiday…. Or if you’re not still in Croatia… come join like minded folks who love to ride…

NOTE: as the group has grown in size, please be mindful of the rider in front and on your wheel… please hold your line steady and ride smooth and predictable… safety, it’s everyone’s responsibility….

See ya in the parking lot… and at the back of the pack… RAWHIDE!!!

How did Nascar get his name

A few yerrs ago, there was a mishap on the SVR... causing some riders to seek attention... medical attention, et al.... after all the dust settled, we figured out how it all happened... and Dave submitted the following... this is a repeat... but worth the read..

We'll miss Dave as he moves on...

Thanks to Big Dave for the following translation of last weeks ride report.... It's nice to have an SVR rider who can spin such a story...

“I want to thank my pit crew, the guys in the shop and my wife Debbie. We had a good bike today and I feel like the number 31 Accelerade, Zipp Wheels, Carolina Triathlon , P2C Cervelo had a chance to get into victory lane today. We always enjoy coming to this ride and the folks here in Anderson are a good group of people. I’m not sure exactly what happened out there, but from what I could tell, we were running full tilt down the back stretch. I was running 5th and gettin’ a good push from the 88, Dave Bartoski. The number 9 Cervelo of Fred Tolly got a run on the 24 of Brooks Keys. He got up there beside him and made it two wide going down the straightaway. Then the Number 20 of Tony Catalfomo got a run on Tolly and took the air off his rear tire, getting him loose. Fred made a good effort but couldn’t hang onto it and spun out pushing Brooks into the apron. Next thing I know, Tony’s sliding across the pavement, the number 99 of Bob Ashby gets collected and I have nowhere to go.. And as I go around, the 88 is flying over top of me. All I can say is thanks to the crew here for reacting quickly and averting the rest of the riders from getting involved. It took a while before I felt ok enough to put down my window net so I went to the infield care center. Andrea Storie did a great job of making sure I was ok and a special thanks to the number 42 of Renalto Honfi, number 5 Russ Lott and the 2 of Steve Pugh. They’re all great riders stood by my side. No hard feelings towards the number 9 team. He’s a standup guy and has even brought some stuff to my garage to help me repair my engine. It’s just a shame that we had such a great race going this morning and a racing incident had to happen and wad up a bunch of good bikes. Thanks to the race directors for instituting these safer helmets. It probably saved my life. I’ll probably miss qualifying on Tuesday night but hope to be back out on the track within the next few weeks.”

In all seriousness, I'm glad everyone is ok and thanks to everyone who pitched in to help out. It's great to know that we are surrounded by a good group of people. Thanks!