DClog

2010 GTC Championship

2010 GTC Champ Michael Stone!

I showed up to this ride/race with no intention of fighting for the win but instead to get a good hard ride and maybe see if I could affect the selection.

Here's a brief champs report from my vantage point. About 16 riders at the start. Tim (Stone Sr), Matt Coy & Michael (Stone Jr) breakaway at mile 8 on Kirk Rd. I bridged up on Clarence Odum Rd and the four of us rode together for 3 miles then Matt dropped off near the end of Macadonia Ch Rd. Michael, Tim and myself motored steadily to about mile 47 on Perry Smith Rd where they delivered the one-two punch and left me on my own. I finished the 61-mile ride in 2:37 with about a 23.4 avg speed. The next group, w/Matt, Eddy and Brent rolled in approximately 10-minutes later.

"For those about to rock, we salute you"

DC, Stone Jr, Stone Sr.

My Last 45+ Championship

The photo below was December 2, 2007 at the Blue Ridge cyclocross race and verified my third consecutive 45+ cyclocross state championship, which had actually been won the week previous but among a much less competitive field.

This victory was ninth of ten Masters Georgia state championship. Five times in the Time Trial ('99, '00, '01, '03, '09), two times in the Criterium ('99, '02) and three times in Cyclocross ('05, '06, '07).

It would have been nice to win the Georgia Road Race championships once but instead scored a long line of second and third places over the years.

Eventually I graduated to the next age group and last year won the Masters 55+ Time Trial and scored another second place at the Road Race champs. So the RR champs continues to elude.

(L-R) Torre Smitherman, DC, Gerard Remery. photo by Marshall Millard

Iron Man 2 at IMAX

It was she wanted to do for Mother's Day, and it was fun.

Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow returned as Tony Stark/Iron Man and Pepper Potts, and that was cool, but for me the excitement began when Scarlett Johansson and Mickey Rourke took to the screen as villains Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow and Ivan Vanko/Whiplash.

2010 GTC Uniforms - 1st Look

I am getting too old for this kind of picture.

Solo Macabre (take 2)

Started the ride with wet roads and drizzle, not quite rain. The effort and pace were easy as I rode into a headwind for the first hour or so. The ride back was propelled by occasional tailwinds and drier roads which helped to lift my spirits.

61 miles @ 3:03 = 20 mph avg

Solo Macabre

The somewhat infamous Sunday morning "Dans Macabre" ride took place in the rain today. I was the only rider to show up at the start, that doesn't happen often but I wasn't surprised with the weather scaring off the fair-weather riders and a local racing event in Union City (south of Atlanta) drawing the competitive riders. No problem, I rode at a comfortable pace and even stopped at the half-way point for a convenience store cup of coffee.

The route, from my house and back, is a metric century (100 kilometers = 62 miles) and includes some climbs like the rough paved Jack Pittman Road. Not an easy route even with ideal conditions.

Going fast and winning races is exciting and often fun, but at the end of the day it is not the reason I ride. Today's solo ride in the rain felt good and reminded me again why I am a cyclist.

Photoshop Noodling

A vintage rider poster. It was late and I was digital doodling.