This photo was taken three days before my 36th birthday. I was single, I had a job, and yes, that is a ponytail you see peeking out of the back of my helmet. Photo by Larry Beckner | The New Mexican
Oh, Lord, it’s been a long ol’ time since Your Humble Narrator rode the Santa Fe Century.
That’s him, third from the left, in case you’re having trouble reconciling these youthful images with the stove-up wrinklepuss we’ve all grown to know and love.
Well, Señor Wrinklepuss is going to have another go at it this year. Not the full century, mind you, but the half. I last did the full rooster back in 1991, the year I got married and we traded Fanta Se for Bibleburg, so, yeah, it’s been a while.
Pat O’B is interested, and so is Khal, so I’m throwing it out there. Anyone else up for a 50-miler in May? Early registration ends April 30, so if you want to save a couple bucks now’s the time to make your mark.
Give us a shout-out in comments.
Tags: Santa Fe Century
Mad Blog Media 
March 7, 2019 at 9:40 am |
I’ll be there unless the local traffic gets me first. This was taken in front of our house in the City Different. Fortunately, the lady driving this car survived. She hit Meena’s Impreza, which did not.
March 7, 2019 at 3:24 pm |
That’s a turble-bad job of parking she done there. The dirty side goes down. Shiny side goes up.
March 7, 2019 at 10:55 am |
Just a thought to O’G. If whoever shows up for the Mad Dog Fifty Mile Express Train rides bikes that would normally appear in Adventure Cycling, could you get a publication (i.e., some filthy lucre) out of it for Adventure? I’m happy to ride the Long Haul Trucker or the Salsa ‘cross bike if that helps.
March 7, 2019 at 10:57 am |
p.s. Love those toe straps! Man oh man, that brings back Memory Express.
March 7, 2019 at 3:15 pm |
Look close and you’ll see downtube shifters on that carbon-tubed Specialized Allez Epic and a big scar on my right shin from a Chevy Blazer wheel well, collected the previous November.
Alas, there is no money to be made from a venture such as this, so we’ll just have to enjoy it for its ownself.
March 7, 2019 at 4:27 pm |
My last set of downtube shifters were on my Cannondale 2.8 frame from the 1990’s. That was before I put the Campy brifters on it.
March 7, 2019 at 10:56 am |
I will be there and will ride the half century. Along with my tandem neighbors who are riding the full century. And my nephew might join me unless family issues prevent him. Looking forward to meeting and riding with the folks who show up here regularly.
March 7, 2019 at 11:00 am |
PS: Khal, I’ll be riding a Soma Double Cross. And, Patrick, that is a skinny fella, on a skinny tube frame, with some skinny ass tires. I’m thinking 21’s, maybe even 19s. Amirite?
March 7, 2019 at 11:35 am |
The Salsa LaCruz would be a good bookend for the Soma Double Cross. But this time I’ll forswear the 700-40 all surface tires for something a little faster. Maybe the 700-28 Gatorskins that are on my Mavic Speed City wheelset.
March 7, 2019 at 3:22 pm |
The bike came with 25’s, Pat, but I might have put 23’s or even 21’s on it. I did have one wheelset with 19’s. ‘Tis a wonder I have any teeth left in me head so.
Also, and too: 52/42 chainrings and a 13-23 cassette. Owie.
March 7, 2019 at 12:01 pm |
As they say over here: BUON DIVERTIMENTO TUTTI!
March 7, 2019 at 12:34 pm |
Logistics would be tough … anyone want to watch two kids (8 and 6) while I give it a crack? Better yet, anyone want to watch a 54 year old with a bad attitude while the kids ride it?
Last official full century I rode was way back when a guy named Khal Spencer was running the Hawaiian Bike League. That was probably, what, the Truman administration? Good times.
March 7, 2019 at 12:39 pm |
Whaddya know? Didn’t even realize that as I was typing that, my laptop was sitting on this desk protector.
https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B0SG3KxPyGD3LCG
March 7, 2019 at 1:48 pm |
Holy smokes, now there is a blast out of the past. In ’96, I was either riding the Cannondale for 100 miles or riding the tandem for 75 with Meena, who got hooked on the twofer in ’94.
March 7, 2019 at 1:51 pm |
March 7, 2019 at 1:49 pm |
March 7, 2019 at 9:51 pm |
“Iron Okole” is still my all-time favorite ride name.
March 7, 2019 at 4:29 pm |
So who was “SCCC”, anyway?
March 7, 2019 at 4:46 pm |
Sangre de Cristos Cycling Club, maaaannnn. …
March 7, 2019 at 4:55 pm |
These guys as mentioned here?
http://santafecentury.com/Inside_Story/Celebrating_30_Years/
March 7, 2019 at 7:52 pm |
The same. Marc Sani, one of the co-founders of Bicycle Retailer and Industry News, was a SCCC member. That’s one of the reasons I started working for BRAIN back in 1992, and why I’m still doing it today.
March 7, 2019 at 4:56 pm |
Hey, its swell you can still fit into your old racing jersey!
March 7, 2019 at 5:18 pm |
Most def a lean, mean cyclin’ machine there!!
March 7, 2019 at 7:52 pm |
I think I cracked a rib sucking everything in so I could shoehorn myself into the sumbitch.
March 7, 2019 at 7:11 pm |
Yo, buddy, do you ever throw anything away? But, still fitting into that old jersey is way cool.
March 7, 2019 at 7:53 pm |
I had a jar of duck fat in the cupboard. That and a really big spatula did the trick.
March 7, 2019 at 5:55 pm |
Just occurred to me. That musta been a pretty warm March day.
March 7, 2019 at 7:51 pm |
It was a photo shoot for some bit of nonsense I banged out for The New Mexican. You know — Fake News.
March 7, 2019 at 10:26 pm |
I’ve been teasing Editorial Page Editor Inez Russell-Gomez that the New Mex has become the political house organ for the People’s Socialist Republic of Fanta Se. Surprised they have not cancelled my subscription.
March 7, 2019 at 10:20 pm |
Damn Hippies, should have sent some tear gas grenades in there & a few dogs for a good chewing, don’t get me started…
March 8, 2019 at 5:49 am |
No self-respecting dog would chew a hippie. They smell like patchouli, B.O., and Communism. And they taste worse.
March 8, 2019 at 6:36 am |
#DylanesqueAdvice:
Don’t have birthdays & never look a 10 yr or older selfies (or whatever we called them back in the day)
March 8, 2019 at 7:11 am |
Happily, few pix survive of me from the Sixties and Seventies. I got my fashion sense from Zap Comix.
At one point I recall wearing a black, flat-crown Resistol with a silver-concho hat band, pigtails ln Native-A-style leather wraps, aviator glasses, the inevitable scraggly beard, an Air Force winter greatcoat, a white Levi’s cowboy shirt with Mickey Rat embroidered on the back (courtesy of a big gal whose legs were so hairy that she looked like a bear wearing a girl suit), a braided belt, the usual ragged dungarees, and knee-length moccasins.
Now you know how the Sasquatch mythology got started.
March 8, 2019 at 11:16 am |
I’ve seen a couple of those pictures of O’G in his youthful fashion sense, but unfortunately, did not download and save them to use for future blackmail.
On the other hand, there are some of me that I would prefer disappear. Such as the night that Tom Kellogg (yep, that Tom Kellogg), me, and a half dozen other undergrads went motorcycle streaking across the Univ. of Rochester in 1975. Yep, I have the pictures…threatened to trade them to Tom for a new Spectrum, but then he would have them. Fortunately that night, no one dropped a bike.
March 9, 2019 at 6:59 am |
I got a little distracted from the Sante Fe Century ride. Besides Patrick and Khal, is anyone else interested?
March 15, 2019 at 2:08 pm |
Due to creeping dementia, I signed up for the 100. Maybe I will change my mind when I get to Lone Butte