Bike Friday

Nice Q&A with John Howard in the San Diego Union-Tribune. Asked what he likes about cycling, Howard replies: “The fresh air, blue sky. Just being out there. At this stage of my life, it’s all about the (mental) therapy.” What he said.

To the east, El Tour de Tucson rolls out tomorrow, and The Arizona Daily Star — which in 1980 had the misfortune to employ Your Humble Narrator — has a profile of multisport athlete Kathyrn Bertine, who is now focused on cycling. The Tucson Citizen, meanwhile, takes a look at Team Xood, formed by local pro Scott Blanchard. Nice to see the MSM paying attention to our sport for a change.

I wasn’t paying any attention to cycling in 1980. I had a bike, a beat-up old Schwinn Continental, but it was strictly transportation and rarely used even for that. Mostly I worked, drank beer and swam, in the landlady’s pool off Orange Grove Road and at the University of Arizona, because Tucson is hotter than Hell and a single guy could keep cool while ogling a lot of scantily clad female forms. I developed a fine tan along with many evil ideas, none of which came to fruition.

Late update: Almost forgot — there’s a cyclo-cross tomorrow in Bibleburg. You can download a PDF flyer here. My man Mikey O’Schenk, believed to be the last Mad Dog still racing, may or may not renew his duel to the death with Dennis “The Menace” Collard. The two fought right down to the wire in the local winter running series, with Dennis winning the final race by a couple seconds but Mikey holding a comfortable dozen-second cushion in the overall. Alas, Rumor Control reports that Dennis may forgo a bid for a second consecutive beating because he’s working the event (been there, done that, Hoss).