Shangri-La

.
I wanted to actually call this the Authors Ride, we were honored to have a well known writer ride with us Sunday. Having read about him and known of him and his works it was great to talk and ride bikes.

"Shangri-La" is a mystical, harmonious valley, synonymous with any earthly paradise. We did a group ride with a couple of out of towners and rode through Cullman's version of Shangri-La. We started at the St. John Farm and rode through Hanceville and on towards Blount County. The route is pretty cool because you leave one of the most beautiful roads around and head into the forest, which the rocky dirt road takes you straight up a small mountain. Its a brutal climb and the only thing that saved us was the rain the night before made the road packed so it wasn't very slippery.

The photo shows "The Shocker" cresting the wall coming out of the forest. He is one of the toughest guys around, this was his first ride since the Tour de Cullman. "The Shocker" is know for being game for anything.

Once in the valley on top of the mountain we passed some horseback riders. They wanted to race but I think we all were temporarily out of gas.

This picture was actually made from the day before. I am struggling with my new camera to get all the settings right. I switched from a Nikon to Olympus digital camera and cant believe the difference in the photos. Its hard to say one is better than the other one but noticeably different.

Cullman Cyclocross 2008

. ........................."The Hardest of Hard Men" Sean Kelly

The Off Season

You can always tell when the off season arrives. Some are rding cyclocross others are well.... watch the video.

The Tour 2008

I don't even know where to start. This was another great Tour de Cullman. I think the field gets more diverse and definitely gets faster and stronger every year. There is always some buzz who is riding strong.

Before the ride defending KOM Philip Thompson was a buzz word then something about a guy named Omar. James Hall had assembled an incredible group of riders which included a past winner of the Tour. Then there is the Tria boys who are always making their presence known.

.

The morning started out under very fair conditions and the temperature in the mid 70s. As usual we started our ride in the tourist fashion with a mandatory pace. I estimate the starting group at 60-70 riders (60 signed in). We rode the first 40k and stopped for our traditional nature break.

The riders reassembled with the KOM riders drifting towards the front and the "Tourists" towards the back. Moto 1 soon led the riders over Chamblee's Mill Bridge and a larger than years past, strong group of riders were off the front.

As the group crested the first climb incredibly there were still 10-15 riders in the main group. I could tell that this was not going to be the solo break that Philip Thompson made last year. The riders regrouped and over the next 10 miles Lennie Moon and Timo Stark made several surges that were unmatched and mostly Lennie Moon's.

The selection was composed of Lennie Moon, Timo Stark, Dusty Davis, Omar Fraser, Eric White, Jason Donaldson, Kevin White and Philip Thompson

The locals call the section of Joy Road the "Meat Grinder". It has five short steep climbs and it takes a toll on the legs especially at 25+ mph. On the "Meat Grinder" Lennie Moon worked the field, Timo made several attempts to bridge but Lennie gained distance on every hill and seemed to take more out of their legs.

On the final and toughest climb "Skyball", the lead vehicle thought Lennie might have gone too soon. At one point half way up the 4 mile climb he seemed to fade and Omar was leading the charge in the chase group of 4-5 guys. It didn't last long and Lennie dropped the hammer.



Lennie Moon crossed the top of Skyball Mountain 1:20 ahead of Timo Stark. Timo was closely followed by Dusty Davis and Omar Fraser. Amy Gravlee strong and alone to win the women's
KOM.

Division Winners: Masters; Dusty Davis, Sonya Robertson, Most Aggressive; Timo Stark, Dawn Smith, Cullman; Barrett Hoover, Karen Roberson, Junior; Tyler Wilson

Lennie Moon Sprouts Wings on Skyball!

Lennie Moon of the Tria Market team blasted the field on Skyball Mountain. He made a decisive move on a very elite field. Amy Gravlee rode solo in the womens field. More details coming.

1. Lennie Moon...Tria
2. Timo Stark...BicycleWorks
3. Dusty Davis...SmithLock
4. Omar Frasher...SmithLock
5. Eric White...VeloCity
6. Jason Donaldson...BooKoo
7. Kevin White...SmithLock
8. Phillip Thompson...Tria
9. David Darden...SmithLock
10.James Hall...SmithLock

Casey's Tour Machine!

Tour Preparations Continue

The Cullman Cycling Club enjoyed a nice ride Sunday led by Billy Faulk. The riders did the Carolina loop and tracked some of the Tour route.