The Summer Past: My CHIN Race Movie.

In the dead of winter, what is a sometime cycle-sportist like myself to do, but close the eyes and daydream of summer days? Actually, I rode to work today as I do most everyday, this time fortified against the elements of road filth with a newly applied front fender.


After a mere eight years of owning my 'Paulie' black steel track bicycle, now in its fourth local winter, yesterday I ended an era and finally afixed a road-filth-blocking mountain bike mud guard to the rear of the front brake. When I did the test ride home, the roads were clean and dry, unlike in the snowy a.m. ride. Today is colder, cleaner and drier still on these Toronto streets. In fact we are into the Coldest Days of the Year now, which always come in late January and early February, when it is too cold to snow and anything on the pavement is frozen solid. (Finally a clear cold day today!)


So after a good few months of cleaning well-engrained filth from shoes, socks, shins, and of course bicycle drivetrain, I have finally taken action, using the free supply of fenders piled in the photocopy room at my most cycling-positive office. All after the @#$-ing fact.



Now I finally undertake another action: the short film of my race from the CHIN picnic criterium, which occurred seven short months ago at the end of June. I only saw this footage the other day, and it features a few blurry shots of a beard-and-legwarmer wearing chancer on a white bike clashing somewhat horribly with teal shorts. I spent that race hiding strategically in the first seven or eight wheels, so you can't see me so much. Tucked carefully behind the windblocking wideness beefy 'sprinters' (who of course fell away in the final lap or two), I conserved my energy perfectly for my final move, a trip to Florida. Seriously, you can just see me holding my position in the last lap for a fine 7th place finish in a field of over seventy:
http://www.veloomedia.com/2007_pages/2007_road/2007_CHIN_Cadet_Sr4_M3_Men.html

The editor of this fine piece of cycle sport documentary neglected to allow for a continuous shot from the pace car, which would give the viewer a clear sense of the technical course, with all its chicanes plus 100 degree lefthander. But still, kudos to Veloo Media who, for those especially interested, have films from road, cyclocross and even track racing from all of the southern Ontario 2007 on their website.

And now, Back to Work...