SHARKMAN
RETURNS TO THE NATION!
 |
| Sharkman & his mighty Minion Nation! "It was great to be back in the peloton!" Photo by Yeti Boy |
HUGE
TURN OUT FOR DEBUT OF “B” GROUP!
MAD
DOG'S IDEA ACTUALLY WORKS!
ZYCKMANN
DQed IN FINAL SPRINT!
SAFETY
FIRST!
YOU
CAN NOW ORDER NEW JERSEYS!
GET
YOUR RSVP IN FOR THE BEU NOW!
WHERE
IN THE WORLD IS STRYKER GUY/COVER GIRL?
BANJOVI
ROCKS RIVERSIDE!
Belo
News
July
16, 2016
Shark
Cove, Mi. - As dawn broke bright and warm over the Shark Cove, it was
a little different Saturday morning for intrepid hero, the Sharkman.
He had been routinely sleeping on on Saturday and now was more than
excited that he was getting back to his beloved Nation. But he had
been up late the night before, living in the glow of a great Banjovi
Concert at the Riverside Golf & Banquet Center where he and
Wildman and Great Dane had rocked the house!
 |
| Virgin Minion Roger! |
As
he donned his Minion Jersey, he thought of how he would also be
debuting the much anticipated “B” Group this morning and there
would be two Celebrity Riders in the mix!
Sharkman's
own daughter and winner of the Little 5 at Indiana University, the
Nickster, and the Durango Kid, President of the Western Chapter of
the mighty Minion Nation! Oh, the humanity!
The
old Shark had a signed Banjovi Poster as a gift for Gazelle Girl for
all she does for both the Nation and for Banjovi, so he and Nickster
drove straight to the Klutch to drop the poster off pre-ride.
After
pulling into the parking lot, the famous Zyckmann pulled in and began
unloading his beautiful Molteni 70's vintage bike. However, one of
the pedals had come off and he and Sharkman could not seem to get it
back on, so he headed home to reload on his ride and said he would
meet the group on the road.
Sharkman
and Nickster proceeded to the start and Sharkman was taken aback when
he saw the humanity of Minions forming up to ride with the old Shark!
 |
| Virgin Minion John |
Is
this a great country or what! Even Gazelle Girl was there early to
help the old Shark celebrate his return to his beloved Nation of
loyal Minions!
In
addition to the two celebrity riders, there were some new riders, or as the Nation calls them, "Virgin Minions." Roger, Mark and Ric had heard about the ride and are also Chain
Gang riders. These Minion Virgins wanted to see what the
buzz was all about!
Welcome to the mighty Minion Roger, Mark, and Scott!
Dragonfly
was back and he brought John, the Italian Stallion with
him for his first ride! Welcome to the mighty Minion Nation John!
All
in all, there were just over 30 riders and when others joined on
during the ride, the count was estimated at approximately 35 riders!
After
the start festivities, a few words by the Governor and the President,
the group photo was taken and Sharkman told everyone about how Mad
Dog had the idea for both Groups being able to start at the same
time! The A Group would peel off after the start and do a 3.6 mile
loop which would be the equivalent of a 15-20 minutes lead for the B Group. Belo News would like to offer a couple of points about safety for this new arrangement:
- One of the Minions reported this week that when the car plowed into the Chain Gang in June, the Police commented that the riders that were wearing Road I.D.s had the benefit of early identification. If you do not have a road I.D. GET ONE! They are inexpensive and you can put a lot of very important information on them. Oder now at;
- When the A and B Groups approach the HJ Avenue right turn, the A Group should drop to the back of the peloton and allow the B Group to go ahead. There were some problems with the A Group turning in front of the B Group and some confusion. Please be careful when making the turn on to HJ Avenue.
- There were some concerns about riding on M-96 with the traffic. Like M-43, going forward, this will be considered a “neutral zone” and riders should ride single file until returning to 36th Street. Remember to be safe and take it easy on M-96!
As
the Nation went past the Klutch, 30+ riders strong, they waved at
their adoring fans in the Klutch, who were waving them on!
 |
| Virgin Minion Mark! |
Sharkman
rode up and down the peloton “working the crowd” and thanking
them all for coming out on this beautiful Michigan morning!
After
the A Group split off, Sharkman was surprised that about 2/3rds of
the riders chose the B Group to ride with! He was not sure if that was because
they wanted actually ride slower or if it was to honor the old Shark,
but he was quoted as saying he was very touched by the number of
riders in the B group!
Additionally,
and as is the practice, Sharkman took the first honorary sprint at a
scathing 17+ mph!
It was a victory for America!
At
the first G Ave crossing, a couple of riders were off the back and
Nikeboy, the best “sweeper” in the game, volunteered to go back
to get them. At the next sprint finish, the stragglers were no where to be
found so Rainman volunteered to go back with instructions to take the riders up
the other side of the lake at the Yorkville Church and meet the Nation for
the return.
Big thanks to both Nikeboy, who stayed with the riders
all morning, and for Rainman who delivered the message then waited
for the A Group.
 |
| Virgin Minion Ric! |
Though
the B Group was billed as being slower, the pace continued to build
as Sharkman felt his lack of fitness on the col de Twin Lakes, the
col de No Name and well into the Kountry Klub section, causing him to
remind the leaders that it was supposed to be a B Group!
The
Nation stayed together up the col de Norte and into the Holy Rollers
where they met up with Nikeboy and the stragglers who were waiting at
the Feed Zone (formerly Frona's).
After
the link up, and with everyone wondering when the A Group would
arrive, the Nation headed south.
At
the Digital Divide, new Minion virgin, Mark Rose started a very good
paceline with Sharkman on his wheel. The Nation played nice and
slowly built the speed up to around 20 mph. As Sharkman headed back,
he couldn't find his daughter Nickster and Dot Dot Dash mentioned her
chain had come off at the Digital Divide and Nikeboy was assisting her. Good ole Nikeboy.......
Sharkman
headed back and shortly found her and Great Dane working their way
south towards the Nation. As they came together, the A Group came whirring by. Their
speed was pretty impressive as the were packed closely together and
moving as one. Not much of a sweeter sound than the whirring of bikes as they ride by.......
 |
| Sharkman back in the Nation! |
The
A Group caught the B Group just before the GGG Spot Spring!
Perfect!
The
entire Nation, as a group, then headed into the final sprint.
Sharkman wasn't near the finishers but it was reported that Zyckmann
had lead out B Rod, but when he did not make his move, Zyckmann went
ahead and took the final sprint.
Unfortunatley
he had to be DQ'ed as he had not ridden the entire course! Oh, the
humanity!
It
was quite a site on the Champs le Galesburg as the mighty Minion
Nation zipped up their jersey's for the sponsors and waved to the
tofosi and paparatzzi as they rode to the Klutch, 30+ strong!
It
was standing room only at the Klutch as Lava Girl, the Great Moultini
and Sharkman's beloved Sharklet's joined the party in the Klutch and
Easty bought koffee for everyone!
Wow!
 |
| Sharkman takes the first sprint! |
It
was also one of the biggest turnouts at the Klutch with the majority
of riders staying for koffee! It was a great morning for the old
Shark who was just amazed at the turn out, how great the A and B group actually worked out, and best of all, FREE KOFFEE!
Thanks
Easty!
During
the Klutch festivities, Sharkman, Wildman and Great Dane (Banjovi) presented
Gazelle Girl with the first EVER signed Banjovi Poster!
Thanks for
all you do for the Nation AND Banjovi, Gazelle Girl!
You
won't want to miss this week's edition, when the Nation tries the A
and B Group for the second time and find out if it works as well!
This
Saturday, July 23, 2014
Launch
Time for both A & B Groups – 8:00 A.M. - SHARP!
Be
there!
 |
| Celebrity riders, Durango Kid & Nickster! |
 |
| The Klutch was rocking! |
 |
| Sharkman presents the poster to Gazelle Girl! |
 |
| Sharkman checking to make sure he spelled his name correctly! |
 |
| Sharkman's newest Sharklet, Nina, with Rainman. As Nikeboy says, Rainman has a way with the ladies! |
NOW
IS YOUR CHANCE TO ORDER JERSEY'S!
DEAD LINE JULY 27!
Belo
News
July
21, 2016
Shark
Cove, Mi. - There have been a lot of requests for re-ordering both
Shark Minion and BEU Jersey's of late.
Gazelle
Girl has very kindly offered to re-order both Shark Minion and BEU
jersey's for those who are interested in these classic kits!
She
is putting in an order for Shark Minion jersey's, as well as Bloody
'Ell 'Undred jerseys. (Sorry, BEU jerseys will not be here by the
event date of July 30.)
Cost
for this full zip Giordana jersey is $65. Add $10 and you can have
your Minion Nickname and “flag of origin” printed on the collar.
An
order from was attached to the Update. Please fill out ALL
information and return to Gazelle Girl (her email addres is on the
form) NO LATER THAN JULY 27, 2016.
GET
YOUR
RSVP IN FOR
THE BEU NOW!
Belo
News
July
21, 2016
Triple
Nasty Ranchero, Mi. - The 2016 edition of the Bloody 'Ell 'Undred is
almost here and you need to get your RSVP's in ASAP! You won't want
to miss this years edition when there is an alternate route for slugs
like our own intrepid hero, the Sharkman!
What
are you waiting for, Bunkie! Get your reservations in now!
WHERE
IN THE WORLD IS STRYKER GUY/COVER GIRL?
Belo
News
July
21, 2016
 |
| Stryker Guy get's back to Michigan! |
Somewhere,
Mi. - If you've been following the legend of the Peloton, the
intrepid Stryker Guy, (and who hasn't?) you know he has found his way
to Michigan! Oh, the humanity! Yes, the mighty Minion has made it
back to his home State and is now trying to figure out how to keep
going when he is so close to home!
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!
 |
| Stryker Guy's photo of the inside of a Wisconsin Bar. Is this a great country or what!?! |
Follow
his exploits at:
https://slowoldnstupid.wordpress.com/2016/07/13/on-wisconsin/
This
is a great country!
BANJOVI
ROCKS RIVERSIDE!
Belo
News
July
15, 2016
Battle
Creek, Mi. - Banjovi rocked it at Riverside last Friday night as they
packed the house with over 50 people in attendance! Minions in
attendance, in addition to Yeti Boy, were Mad Dog, Rainman, Toesetter
and of course, the Sweetheart of the Peloton and number on Banjovi
Groupie/Manager Gazelle Girl. Though there was a gully washer down
pour about an hour before they started, it opened up to a beautiful
Michigan evening of song, dance, BBQ and beer! It was a fantastic
evening on the Patio at Riverside and Banjovi hopes to be back again
soon!
TUESDAY
NIGHT CHAIN GANG BACK IN ACTION!
Belo
News
July
19, 2016
Battle
Creek, Mi. - After being off a few weeks, the Tuesday Night Chain
Gang was back in action and taking the recommendation of Rainman,
took a different route. Though 2 miles shorter than the previous
route, it is more hilly and the concensous of the group was that they
liked it.
Wildman,
Mad Dog and Stingray rode the “Option 2” course and it is hoped
that the Sharkman will be returning to this ride soon!
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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