BLOODY
'ELL 'UNDRED THIS SATURDAY!
NO MINION RIDE THIS SATURDAY!
SHARKMAN
IN YELLOW AS TOUR ENDS!
ANOTHER
BIG CROWD FOR THE KK-TdG!
IMPORTANT
INFORMATION ABOUT INVITING RIDERS?
GET
YOUR RSVP IN FOR THE BEU NOW!
WHERE
IN THE WORLD IS STRYKER GUY/COVER GIRL?
Belo
News
July
23, 2016
Shark
Cove, Mi. - As dawn broke bright and warm over the Shark Cove for the
second week in a row, our intrepid hero, the Sharkman was excited to
don his Tour de France, yellow jersey that he was given by that other
intrepid hero, Stryker Guy, to celebrate the final weekend of the
world's second most famous race (with the KK-TdG being the most
famous).
 |
| Sharkman in the Yellow Jersey! Thanks to Stryker Guy! |
He
was regretting not being able to ride to the start with Mad Dog yet,
but Lava Girl is keeping a close eye on his recovery and it might
still be a few more weeks before he can ride over and back, and he
doesn't want to press his luck on what has been a pretty good
recovery!
When
our hero drove into the starting area, he was again surprised to see
the turn out.
Which
brings to mind something the Editors would like to share about the
mighty Minion Nation.
Word
got out that there was going to be a B Group starting and some well
meaning Minions started telling people they should come out and try
it. Though the Nation is not a “closed” group, and we strive to
be welcoming, the culture of the group is an important part of the
mighty Minion Nations success. So when riders heard B Group, they
assumed it would be slow. However, as the Nation is aware, the
culture of the ride is that even in the B Group, riders sprint to
stop ahead signs and it is
these “surges” that make it hard for a
rider to stay with the group. Though the average speed for the ride
might be 18 mph, there are times when the group is doing 14 mph, and
times when it is pushing 30 mph. Thus a recreational rider who comes
to ride cannot stay with the group, feeling badly and causing someone
(like Nikeboy, God bless him) to stay back and insure the rider gets
back to the Klutch. After all, the Minion motto is “we leave no
Minion behind!”
 |
| The Nation gathers to ride! |
Additionally,
we are regularly attracting 30-35 riders in two groups and if the
group gets any larger, we may have traffic/safety/nuisance issues
and the residents around Gull Lake have been very patient with us and
we do not want to wear out our welcome.
Therefore,
we are asking riders not to tell people about the ride and if you are
compelled to bring or invite another rider, they are YOUR
responsibility. So if they cannot stay on, you will need to go back
and insure that they do not get lost, have a mechanical or simply
cannot finish.
 |
| Yeti Boy and Ranger Rick at the start. |
So,
if you invite a rider, they are your responsibility!
There
were again, new virgin Minions in the mix! Leslie and Mike were on
their first ride, with Leslie joining the A Group, while Mike joined
the B. Welcome to the mighty Minion Nation!
There
was also an elderly rider on a comfort bike that everyone thought had
come out to ride, but he was waiting for another rider to arrive to
ride the bike trail to Kazoo and was asking B-Rod about what kind of
bike he should upgrade to....
Whew.......
 |
| What kind of bike is that, B-Rod? |
A
couple of long time Minions who haven't been riding much this summer
were also in the mix and it was great to have Falcon and Bissell Boy!
It
was difficult to get a good count, but again the riders were
estimated to be about 35! Oh, the humanity!
After
the Shark took some photos and interviewed the new Minions, he led
the train through downtown Galesburg as the Nation waved to Andrew
who came out of the Klutch to take a count of the riders and the
early morning koffee group cheered the Nation on.
The
A Group began to form up on the right, while the B stayed to the left
as they approached the HL turn. You could feel the A Group begin to
accelerate as they made the turn!
Falcon,
glad to be back on the bike, led the ole Shark out to the first
sprint. Being careful to make sure he got the intrepid hero to the
line so he'd get his name in Belo News, without taking the sprint and
becoming “personna non grata!” Nice job, Falcon, nice job!
 |
| Falcon was back! |
As
the train got to the G crossing, Shark took a count of 8 as Nikeboy
shouted out, “All on!” Always great to have Nikeboy watching your
back!
This
week, the group was able to stay together and the pace was pretty
steady. Without any stragglers, the pace was up, with Falcon and
Nikeboy sparring at the front from time to time.
When
the group got to the Rt. 43 sprint, Sharkman moved up on the left of
a rider, who saw him coming and moved to the right to give him room.
However, the move almost took out another to his left rider by doing
so, so again, we stress that when riding in a sprint, it is very
important to hold your line as you approach the finish!
The
pace stayed steady through the col de Norte, the Holy Rollers and
through the “feed zone.”
 |
| Minion Virgin Mike! |
When
the train crossed the Digital Divide, Sharkman shouted out that the
Nation would get in a pace line and try to maintain a 20 mph average
as they headed south. The pace line that formed up, after a few
adjustments, was actually one of the better pace lines in some time.
As a matter of fact, the B Group worked so effectively together, they
decided to keep the line intact after the GGG Spot Sprint and down to
the finish. It is amazing how much faster a group can ride when they
work together and also how exhilarating a pace line can be!
The
pace line stayed together to the top of the final ascent before the
finish. At that point Falcon took a very short lived “flyer” and
tried to surprise the peloton, but it was quickly countered by
Nikeboy, Bissell Boy, Yeti Boy (that's a lot of boy's!) and a cast of
thousands as they descended on the finish like dogs on a bone!
Sharkman,
seeing Bissell Boy coming up hot behind him, jumped on his wheel and
rode him like a rented mule!
“Ah,
it was so good to be back in the mix,” Sharkman reported later at
the press conference.
Yes,
so good......
 |
| Virgin Minion Leslie! |
The
B Group had stayed ahead of the A Group this week, however, the A
Group arrived at the Klutch before the B Group all had their koffee.
Bissell
Boy had volunteered to buy the koffee, but Greyhound was waiting at
the Klutch and had already put the koffee for all on his tab!
Thanks
Greyhound!
Again,
the Klutch rocked as many of the Nation stayed for koffee and the
press conference. Gazelle Girl worked the crowd to make sure those
attending the BEU had their reservations in, as well as their jersey
orders.
This
week, there will be no KK-TdG as the Nation does the Bloody 'Ell
'Undred....MMMmmmm Deviled Eggs and Bloody Mary's!
 |
| Nikeboy looking dapper at the start with Bluto, B-Rod, Stingray, Wildman, and Mad Dog. |
All
details below but remember, if you show up to ride the KK-TdG, you
may be riding it alone this week!
 |
| Style Guy, Nikeboy, posing with his stellar kit on the Champs la Galesburg! |
 |
| Bissell Boy, sporting his Cub hat. He knows how to get in the blog! |
 |
| Builder Bob enjoying that koffee! |
 |
| The A Group arrives moments after the B Group! |
 |
| Flash Gordon and Hossman after a great ride! |
BLOODY
'ELL 'UNDRED IS THIS SATURDAY!!!!!
Belo
News
July
27, 2016
Triple
Nasty Ranchero, Mi. - Important facts on this years edition of the
BEU taking place this weekend!
- If you've not RSVP's yet, you still can. Do it NOW by emailing Gazelle Girl – joan.o@comcast.net
- 9 a.m. at Zyckmann's – 4106 E Gull Lake Dr. Hickory Corners – Bloody Marys, koffee, deviled eggs!
- Some will ride the traditional 40ish mile route up to Hastings via Gun Lake – others can opt for the shorter/flatter course – all will return via a relatively flat 20ish mile route with the usual rest stop at the Seventh Day Adventist Church.
- Hang out at Zyckmann's after, jump in the lake, etc.
- BRING CASH! As we learned last year, it is simplest to order a variety of pizzas, so we will wind up with one tab that we all can contribute to.
- See you Saturday!
WHERE
IN THE WORLD IS STRYKER GUY/COVER GIRL?
Belo
News
July
27, 2016
 |
| Stryker Guy and old buddy, Bill Braun. Making the Minion Jersey famous! |
Irving,
N.Y. - If you've been following the legend of the Peloton, the
intrepid Stryker Guy, (and who hasn't?) you know he is zooming across
America! And we do mean ZOOMING! Oh, the humanity! Yes, the mighty
Minion has made to New York already and when he last checked in, he
was leaving Irving, New York heading east!
His
latest blog update started out just like Stryker Guy talks, and we
quote.....
“Start
spreading the news, I’m leaving (Kingsville) today, I want to be a
part of it, (Irving) New York, New York”.
Yep,
that's our Stryker Guy/Cover Girl! Making the Minion Jersey famous
across this great country!
You
can follow his exploits, (or insanity) at his blog! Don't miss a
single episode of his totally awesome adventure! He did submit the
photo of what the inside of a bar looks like in Wisconsin (like we
didn't know) and a photo of him as he crossed back into God's
Country, Michigan!
Follow
his exploits at: https://slowoldnstupid.wordpress.com/
This
is a great country!
Riders
joining the Minion rides acknowledge the inherent risk involved with
bicycle riding and by joining any Minion ride hold harmless any rider
involved.
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