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ZAP: ZAP'S "NOT A BLOG" BLOG - THE SEA OTTER EDITION
Zap
April 25, 2009
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No, the Sea Otter Classic is not a major stop on the road race calendar. Still, the fact that the event attracts 1000's of cycling enthusiasts of every stripe makes it a great place to kick off the Spring campaign in America. Unlike seemingly every year for the past decade where everyone in attendance has frozen their patooties off, this years running had more sun and beautiful blue skies than many of us knew what to do with. Like I always say, when the weather at the Sea Otter is bad, it's really bad, but when it's good, it's briliiant.
So mark the 2009 event as quite the anomoly. It was great to see so many faces, young and old show uo to celebrate the outdoor lifestyle that defines cycling. Here's some of what I saw & heard that made the event memorable for me.
THE LIAR'S CLUB
Okay, can we be done with this guy once and for all? Yeah, I know all about "Tug" the dog, the ground down teeth, the fall. Being more of a hard ass than some, I'd like to insist that it's not "most" of Tyler's problems that were his fault...ALL of them were. Blaming the media as he has sought to do for his downfall is like blaming Dan Rather for Bill Clinton's fall from on high. "I Believe!" Yeah, I believe Tyler is a liar - period. He tasted the sweetness that go as rewards for a hard sport, got caught up and then was incapable of fessing up. Goodbye.
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN
And then there's a racer like Steve Larsen (l). Once a teamate to Lance at Motorola, (more than) once a national champion mountain biker, a celebrated tri-geek and an all-around fierce competitor who would as soon take drugs to enhance his performance as he would tattoo my name on his forehead inside a big flaming heart. Larsen is all about competing and now his son Massimo (c) is keen to carry on the family legacy so Steve is teaching him all the important things about being a bike racer; training, nutrition and sucking down as as much schwag as possible when offered - like when Marty from Genuine Innovations wanted to set the duo up with as variety of their new inflators. www.genuineinnovations.com
Former Tulip/Coors Light Pro Joe Parkin (l) talks shop with former National Motocross & Supercross Champ Johnny O'Mara about bike racing in Belgium, how cool Ricky Carmichael is, and what O'Show thinks about his new Specialized 29'er. Unlike Hamilton, these two riders ooze integrity and class - believe that! Also, look for an in-depth interview with Parkin about his race days in Europe and his new book based on those experiences, "A Dog In A Hat"
No, this not a photo of Sram PR honch Mike Zellman, and no, I didn't meet this guy at Sea Otter, but I wish I had.
WAIT JUST A MINUTE......
Brad just showed me how to use the photo gallery and it rules. So, below you'll find the rest of my Sea Otter review in photo gallery form.
Any questions, complaints or recipes for fish tacos can be sent here.
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