OPENING DAY POSTPONED!
POSTPONED AGAIN! SAY IT AIN'T SO!
POLE 2 POLE RACE RESULTS!
CANNON RULES AT MELTING MAN!
Belo News
March 12, 2014
Shark Cove, Mi. - As this Edition of Belo News was about to go to press, a 9 1/2 inch wet snow storm hit the area and our reporters stopped writing about Opening Day……oh, the humanity!
It is with deep regret that the Commissioner of Cycling has decided to postpone Opening Day until the first Saturday in April when the Nation can only hope for better weather.
Even if the weather warmed a bit before Saturday, a review of the course indicates that snow still covers the fog lines on most of the roads, making it impossible to move over if need be.
The Nation has had 8 successful Opening Days (on the second Saturday of March) in a row and though last years Opening Day was shortened due to ice and snow, this year the weather is just not cooperating and deemed too dangerous for riders! Additionally, the course is still loaded with road salt and assorted junk.
New, Tentative Opening Day!
Saturday, April 5, 2014!
More details to follow!
POLE 2 POLE RACE RESULTS!
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| Gazelle Girl and her Irish Coffee! |
Belo News
March 1, 2014
Zickman Estate, Mi. - After a year off from lack of ice, the Pole 2 Pole Race got under way from the flag pole at the super plush Zickman Estate, to the Gull Lake Country Club and back, across a very frozen Gull Lake. The event kicked off after a round of Irish Coffee (or did the happen after the race?) with our own Gazelle Girl winning the skiing division.
Boatman, who surprisingly mentioned to Sharkman the night before at the End of Winter Party that he hates to ride in the cold, was in attendance along with Ironman, Toe Setter, Brent (whose bike name escapes and could not be reached
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| The Team makes the first check point! |
for comment) along with the Sweetheart of the Peloton, Gazelle Girl who took away honors in both the woman's division as well as the ski division despite being really hungry. Go figure.
Gazelle Girl was quoted as stating it was like taking candy from babies.
Zickman had all the fixings for the Irish Coffee and Gazelle Girl even got to take home some Redi-Whip as her winning award and was also quoted, stating "Is this a great country or what?"
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| Gazelle Girl taking the female/ski division! |
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| Toesetter, Gazelle Girl and Brent celebrating post race. |
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| Toesetter, Zickman and Brent ready to rock! |
MINIONS RULE MELTING MAN!
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Cannon on the podium!
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Belo News
March 9, 2014
Marcellus, Mi. - Several Minions did the Nation proud this past Saturday at Melting man.
First among them was our own Cannon who blasted to the third spot on the podium in his age group followed up by Dave Buick (who really needs a bike name) who finished just behind the Cannon in 5th place in the same category!
Way to go Minions!
Team Taylor also had a great showing and Iceman, who finished 7th in his age group wrote up the following account!
We had about 15 Team Taylor riders sporting our new winter Team Taylor colors.
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| Cannon hoisting one, post race! |
Other Team Taylor/Minions who raced:
Kevin Cleary - Kia Pet
Nick Yetter - Nick Head
Kevin Hains - The Bounty Hunter
Colby Novar - I don't know his nick name
Brian Nelson - Mo Pink, who shot the attached video. which was used by Melting Mann and MMBA Face book pages.
Melting Mann Meltdown:
Team Taylor showed up in force for the first annual Melting Mann Gravel Road Race on March 9, Race time 10:00a.m.
Around 15 Team Taylor riders of which many are Minions including Kia Pet, the Bounty Hunter, Nick Head, Mo Pink and Colby, turned up in the frigid temps down near Swiss Valley Ski Resort.
Race time temp was about 17 degrees and around 280 racers. A beautiful 28 mile course that was around 80% hard snow pack/ice with the remainder being clear pavement. A great race on a bright, sunny, yet seriously cold day. Wave one rolled out at 10:04 to the sounds of screaming fans and wild applause muffled by heavy mittens and gloves. Most were on CX machines with studded feet and several were on MTB, even some Fatty's.
Not even one mile into the course and it was time to climb... on the steep paved piece of misery called Patterson Hill. Then it was on to the famed Mann Road which is normally not even a road, but they had it plowed and it was a slick mess of a frozen two track. Crashes all over the place even though studded tires were in play. I ran right over a guys leg... hope my 45NRTH Grvdal's laced with 252 studs per tire didn't cause him any more discomfort. Shortly there after I had my own tip over on the slick stuff trying to avoid a three rider pile up. Shortly after that recovery I watched Nick Head slide out on the two track and bang up against the rock hard snow boulders from the plow.... and we were only 1.5 miles into the race!! He was okay so we ventured on together. Big climbs in the first eight or ten miles caused some riders with no studs to push their steeds up the frozen roads while our studs gripped for the climb.
Nick Head and I were having a relatively uneventful ride when at about the 21 mile mark we were ripping side by side down a frozen road at about 24mph, when in mid sentence, Nick Head went down in a split second. I looked down and there he was sliding on his hip right next to me ala Apollo Ono after a short track speed skating crash. He slid all the way across the other lane and ended up a full 25 feet away from his bike. Racers behind him narrowly missed both him and his bike due to difficult navigating on the ice. I stopped and went back to a fully dazed Nick Head, but nothing was broken. He shook off the crash, found his glasses (even further away) and we mounted up and continued on a bit more gingerly only loosing maybe 2 or 3 minutes to the clock. We finished the race together doing well in our age groups as well as overall.
The last 6 miles had some more climbs that I wasn't ready for and finished on a slowly leaking rear wheel making the climbs even less fun. The website says it is 1,300 feet of climbing. It felt more like 5,000 in this early season, cold weather. Check out their FB page and watch the attached video of the rollout. Great music, free beer and great prizes post race. A really nice first year event.
It is a beautiful course worthy of summer training.
ICEMAN SIGN UP AT BELL'S!
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| Sharkman waits in line at Bell's. |
Belo News
February 28, 2014
Kalamazoo, Mi. - What has become a rite of Spring, the annual sign up for Iceman was held at Bell's Brewery in Kalamazoo on the last day of February….proported to be the last day of Winter, eh?
Anyway, the Nation was well represented as Sharkman, Reb, Hambone, Cool Dad, Brewman, Bissell Boy, Styker Guy, Gazelle Girl, along with a cast of thousands and maybe some Minions we missed or forgot!
Stand in line, fill out a form, write a check and "Walla" you're in Iceman and can start to drink beer with bike buddies! Is this a great country or what?!?
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| Brewman and Bissell Boy hoisting a cold one! |
Bissell Boy bought a round and Reb got lunch! Sharkman was living large!
Iceman is shaping up to be another great race!
