THIRTY
NINE MINIONS! OH, THE HUMANITY!
 |
| The early photo, before more hoards of riders showed up! |
STRYKER
GUY MAKES AN APPEARANCE AFTER SURGERY!
WISHBONE
HAS A NEW RIDE!
“LUCKY
ONES” BARRY-ROUBAIX RIDE ANNOUNCED!
DON'T
FORGET TO REGISTER FOR THE TOUR DE TAYLOR!
Belo
News
April
15, 2017
Shark
Cove, Mi. - As dawn broke cool, but bright, over the Shark Cove, our
intrepid hero, the Sharkman, was troubled. The day before the old
Shark had received a text from Mad Dog stating he was going to make
the ride in the morning!
What
the......?!?
 |
| Yes, Sharkman was there....... |
Sharkman
responded to the text that Mad Dog would be behind on the attendance
streak to his arch attendance title enemy, Gazelle Girl, but he
replied, “she knows already.” Mad Dog sounded defeated and with
only three weeks into the young season.
Sharkman
could not remember the last time he had made the ride to the start
without Mad Dog and with Yeti Boy out of town, wasn't sure he would
have an escort the following day.
However,
later on Friday, Nikeboy and Reb texted that they would be joining in
for the ride over!
It
was actually warm enough to ride, sans tights and actually, the arm
warmers came off pretty quickly as the day was warming up quite
nicely.
As
the three riders rode the thriving metropolis known as Galesburg, Kia
Pet from Team Taylor road up. That could mean only one
thing......there would be more Team Taylor riders at the start! Yes!
Always good to have the Team Taylor riders in the mix!
 |
| Virgin Minion John (name TBD) arrived with Team Taylor. |
Ready
for a few extra riders, Sharkman was pleasantly surprised when he saw
the mass of riders gathering for the ride! In addition to
approximately 6 Team Taylor riders, the count went to 28 rather
quickly! Some riders hadn't been seen this year yet, like Tow Truck,
Dreamboat, Catfish, LL Cool J, Nickhead, Mighty Monk, Easty and
Toesetter! It was great to see them all gathering at the start!
Wishbone
was back sporting his new Trek, built by our own Skittles from Trek
Bicycles in Battle Creek! This bike is a beauty and Wishbone said he
could tell who was more excited, Wishbone for getting a great new
bike or Skittle for getting to build it! A very special bike for a
very special rider! So good to have Wishbone back in the Nation!
As
readers of Belo News are aware, when the crowd gets over 15, memory
does not allow for the Editors to report every rider name and only
leading out hero out to the first sprint, buying him koffee or doing
something funny will get a Minions name in this publication.
 |
| Nickhead made his season debut! |
Besides,
there were some riders there who hadn't ridden in so long, Sharkman
was forgetting their names!
It's
hell getting old!
Sharkman
counted 26 riders at the start and after a group photo and another
safety talk, where the Shark explained the A and B groups, and also
got Dreamboat to volunteer getting the A group on the correct course,
even more riders rode in.
With
the sound of riders clicking into their pedals, and the squeal of the
crowd, Sharkman led the group out but looked back and saw another 10
riders join on to the group! No one seemed to be sure who they were
as the long train rode past the Klutch. As a matter of fact, the
peloton was so large, they all could not get through on one light
change and the Nation had to wait for the second wave. With the added
10, and with Kid Doster joining on after the first sprint and heading
to the A group, the final count on the morning was 39 riders.
 |
| LL Cool J. "Where is "the Promise?" |
Luckily,
there were enough riders for an A group and while 18 riders stayed on
for the B, the remainder headed out on the A route at HJ Ave.
Gazelle
Girl, Toesetter and then Wildman led our intrepid hero out to his
honorary first sprint where he again, threw his Litespeed steed over
the tape for the win!
As
the train moved north, Kid Doster jumped in and wanted to know if it
was the A or B group. When he learned it was the B Group, he decided to
keep going and jump on with the A Group when they came north. Uh, go figure......
The
riders spread out on the col de Twin Lakes and as they approached the
light on Rt. 89 it was green, but the group was so spread out, the
lead riders decide to play nice and wait. However, as the light was
taking a very long time to turn, and the large group was blocking a
car from activating the light, and argument ensued about going
through the red light. In the middle of the heated discussion, one
Minion took the initiative to go and away the Nation went! Oh, the
humanity!
 |
| Toast was back, sporting his Shark Minion Kit! |
The
speed picked, as usual, after the Yorkville Church, through Kellogg
Korner, past the Kountry Klub riders scattered. But they all came
back together at Rt. 43 and headed to the col de Norte.
At
the base of the col de Norte, Zyckmann, riding his now famous,
“Woodie,” had a flat tire. Most of the Nation had already climbed
to the top of the col de Norte, but waited. Reb volunteered to go
back to check and shortly after, the A Group came barrelling by with
no signs of slowing down. LL Cool J did stop to look for another
rider from the A Group who he hadn't seen since the Koffee Klutch.
When
Zyckmann got to the top of the col de Norte, he was asked if anyone
from the A group had stopped to help and stated they asked if they
could help as the blew by, but no one stopped! Hee hee.
As
the group headed towards the Holy Rollers, some riders fell off the
back, but luckily, Nikeboy and Reb were on duty to make sure very
Minion was accounted for. Big thanks to both riders for maintaining our motto of "we leave no Minion behind!"
 |
| Dragonfly was also in his Shark Minion Kit! |
Sharkman worries when the group gets as
large as this one, that he will miss someone getting shot out the
back. Also, larger crowds tend to take the speed up, making it more
likely that rideres will drop off the back.
After
the Frona stop, Zyckmann had problems with his tire again and decided
to head back home and change bikes. He wanted to get to the Klutch as
rumors had spread that the legendary rider, that hero of the peloton,
that rider who is known far and wide, Stryker Guy, was going to be at
the Klutch after his surgery on his shoulder!
At
the Digital Divide, there was some confusion as the Shark wasn't sure
who had dropped off and who was just behind. Some said that some
riders had gone back with Zyckmann. So the peloton moved ahead after
a short wait.
 |
| Dot Dot Dash and Wishbone on his new Trek! Hey, did Sharkman miss the memo on Shark Jersey Day? |
The
speed steadied out and yet another nice pace line started up, which
again, is unusual this early in the season and with the large number
of riders.
Gazelle
Girl, once again took the GGG Spot Sprint as a cheer went up in the
crowd.
In
the final assault on the finish, Wildman went to the front, with
Gazelle Girl and Sharkman on his wheel and a cast of thousands in
line behind them.
As
the peloton crested the final ascent, Wildman backed off and
Sharkman went to the front, to quickly be pasted by several riders
and Wildman! Wildman was on fire on this bright morning!
The
crowd on the Champs le Galesburg went wild as their hero's rode to
the Klutch where even more cyclist from the A group were waiting.
True
to his word, Stryker Guy was not only waiting, but was buying
everyone the koffee! Is this a great country or what!?!
 |
| Toesetter was back in the Nation, making his season debut! |
The
Klutch was rocking and the two lady Barrister's were running their legs
off trying to keep up with demand as thirsty Minions ordered their
Bottomless Joe's!
Lucky,
Mad Dog wasn't there, as ordering his foo foo koffee would have
slowed things down and it was a thirsty crowd! Oh, the humanity!
Everyone
seemed to hang out a bit longer, listening to Stryker Guy sharing his
story of “the crash” and the ensuing surgery to repair his
clavicle.
So,
what will happen this Saturday? Come on out and find out!
It
is supposed to be dry, but cool so the start time will stay the same!
 |
| The man of the hour, and buyer of the Koffee, Stryker Guy was holding court at the klutch! |
Saturday,
April 22, 2017
Launch
Time – 8:30 a.m. - SHARP!
Be
there!
“LUCKY
ONES” BARRY-ROUBAIX RIDE ANNOUNCED!
Belo
News
April
19, 2017
Triple
Nasty Ranchero, Mi. - Are you retired? Unemployed? Willing to play
hooky? Or just a general work-a-day slacker?
Then
join a handful of Minions for a Barry-Roubaix ride on Tuesday April
25, 2017. We'll depart at 2:30 p.m. From the K-Mart Parking lot on
M-43/West State St. in Hastings. Fellowship to follow at The Waldorf.
I
Questions:
contact Gazelle Girl at joan.o@comcast.net.
BANJOVI IS BACK THIS FRIDAY AT BOWMAN'S BBQ IN CLIMAX!
Belo News
April 19, 2017
Climax, Mi. - Feeling like you need the 3 B's?
B's you say?
Yes, Beer, Barbecue and Banjovi! The boys are back this Friday night at Bowman's BBQ in Climax, Michigan, this Friday night, April 21, 2017. Things kick off at 6:30 p.m. so don't be late!
Banjovi has some new songs and some new jokes so come on out and enjoy the fantastic BBQ and the sounds of the three Minion Musicians!
Come on, have you ever heard Crocodile Rock on a kazoo? Or, "Don't Pet the Dog?" Then you need to "B" there!
Oh, the humanity! Is the a great country or what?!? "B" there!
TOUR
DE TAYLOR IS SATURDAY, JUNE 10, 2017!
Belo
News
April
19, 2017
Mattawan,
Mi. - The date for the Tour de Taylor 2017 has been announced and
here is the information you will need to enter. This has been a great
annual event for the Nation and helps our Team Taylor Minions earn
even more dollars for their Make A Wish ride in July! So let's all
get entered to ride! Here are the details:
Hey
Tour de Taylor Riders!
Saturday,
June 10th.
As
always, we're working hard on creating an even better event this
year. With your feedback and support, we've been able improve on an
already great event. With your help, ALL
net
proceeds will be donated.
Below
are highlights and details.
- Free Lunch catered by Latitude 42
- Soft tee's with new design for 2017
- Beautiful routes with aid stations, including water, Gatorade, snacks and the best volunteers in the area
- Maple Hill Tent City
- Music
Details
Date:
Saturday June 10th, 2017
|
Location:
Mattawan
Middle School
56720
Murray St Mattawan, MI 49071
Soft
T-Shirts: Free
with registration.
You
must be registered by May 28th
to guarantee a Tour de Taylor 2017 Soft T-Shirt.
Please
refer to link for more event details and updated information.
|
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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