Typical Junior crash-a-thon. Pretty amazing action in this photo!
This was the Redwood City Criterium, on Broadway, just a couple blocks from the
current Chain Reaction Bicycles. Broadway doesn't look like this anymore
(guess they've cleaned up all the blood).
Ah, my first race victory...the Stockton Time Trial. Did exactly the same time as
Hank Tolhurst our club's reigning super Senior Cat-1 rider, who was expected to do well, unlike me.
Don't remember the guy's name on far left, that's me second from left, Paul
Doherty next to me, and then, behind the tailgate, we have Joel Hayflick (in
red) and Marty Yanofsky, Jenny Fire (my...um...well, there have only been
two women in my life, Karen and, before her, Jenny) and Thom Iverson, whom I
worked in shops with and is now an engineer working in the Seattle area.
We had four groups within Pedali Alpini. There was the "A" group, whom we were expected to bow down reverently before, got $$$ from the treasury for travel expenses etc, the "B" group that comprised "serious" cyclists who weren't good enough (and probably never would be) for the "A" group, the "belongers" who helped out and supported things...and us. A bunch of upstart young punks who created the "Z" team. It was our job, as the "Z" team, to do in the "A" team riders any chance we got, particularly in time trials, where there could be no doubt as to actual ability. We were a feisty bunch, had a lot of fun, traveled all over the state and had/have many interesting stories to tell.
The Redwood City criterium...my first non-Twilight race. Yeah, that's me
all bandaged up. This is basically the "bike rack group" from
San Carlos High. Yep, that's right, we hung out at the bike rack!
Mike Annisimov far left...he rode and had ideas but never got anywhere and
dropped out of racing pretty early...racers didn't party hard enough, I
think. Next is Mark Alexander, a tall lanky guy, a year older than I, whom
I got into bike racing. He actually did pretty well in races which had
lots of climbing, being even skinnier than me (tough to do at the time!), but
had zero sprint. Maybe even accelerated backward? And me all messed
up from my first crit, eating the gravel pretty early on. Most painful
memory? Sitting on a table at Kaiser, nurse getting ready to spray me with
something...I assumed painful disinfectant. Thought I was going to
DIE! Turned out to be a pain killer though. Lots of fun, lying there
while they pick gravel out of your side with tweezers. You'll note the
bandadge runs from the knee well up past y waist (plus each arm). This was
on a Sunday, and I was back out racing the following Thursday, complete with
fever from all the stuff my body was doing to regenerate an awful lot of
skin. Far right is Clint Shields. Have no idea whatever happened to
him. He was in the "belongers" category.
Above is from February, 1975 Competitive Cycling
Above is from June 1975 Competitive Cycling
Above is from May 1975 Competitive Cycling
Above is from May 1975 Competitive Cycling