The Cat Five Slide

Cat 5 Criterium - Bob Rodale Fitness Park - Trexlertown, PA

"Got rubber?" - Photos: Teri Abbott

It's not every day that I take issue with nature, karma and Accuweather.com all in one fell swoop but this day I abhor all the above. I mean, I am wrong to expect the cosmic forces of amateur cycling to unify in some celestial tango all for the purposes of finishing my racing season with a win? No. I think I'm perfectly warranted with this request. Reality and those with perspective in life (most those around me) would feel otherwise I'm sure. Well despite Middle Eastern wars, famine, teetering economies and so on, I still feel slighted.

Okay, I don't really. And amidst my less than sincere rambling I do have some perspective, though waning with age. I do recognize, after all, that this is sport. Bike racing like any sport serves up the mixed cocktail of talent, skill, preparation, the elements, surprise, bliss, mystery, cheating (had to throw it in) and of course, at times, disappointment. Like bike racing, I am no exception. And as all sport confirms, we are human. Here in lies the beauty of sport. The Greeks figured it out long that sport and the competition therein, would belie any inequities that exist, social, religious or otherwise.

Allow me to introduce the latest of our sporting talent:

John "I feel no pain" Snyder and Lonnie "The Gladiator" Metz

As my earlier rant suggests, traction became a luxury for me as my tire selection proved dreadful. Lonnie and John (first timers) however displayed strong handling skills and brought some nice power to the table. Our respective "firsts" finished, well, quite respectfully.

The results: Lonnie 8th, 53rd 12th and John 14th.

Keep your peeps open for these guys in 07 as they are hooked and will in fact bring real depth to the team. They're back on the saddle 9.17 for another Crit in Reading. When asked about his first race, Lonnie emphatically retorted "It's controlled chaos out there! When's the next one?"