May 2002 Newsletter

GARNETT ABBEY’S EASTER WEEKEND

Garnett is a guy who’s told me “The more I ride, the better I get.”  His big win in the Master B,C,D race on Good Friday can be attributed, in part, to his “ride, ride, ride” philosophy.  

Not one to rest on his laurels, Garnett was at it again the day after Good Friday, for Gary Scully’s “Exit to Eden” ride, a competitive “Sportif” from Burlington to Eden Mills and back, along with a dozen or so other riders.  Toward the end, there were attacks and Garnett found himself “away” with Paul Rego as they rode southward on Walker’s Line, near #2 Side Road.  Other riders pursued them, including Chris Kiziak who noticed a pick-up truck entering southbound Walker’s off # 2 S.R. 

Here is a censored version of Chris Kiziak’s story describing what followed: 

The Eden ride went well today until the most outrageous road-rage incident in the G.T.A.  Only a few kilometres from the finish on Walker’s Line we met Mr. Redneck with his trusty ford Ranger pick-up truck.  A succession of grinder hills saw Rego and Garnett pull away.  Cavanagh, Tony A., Jid and myself were on the chase.  At a tight bend near #2 Side Road, we saw a pick-up truck turn onto Walker’s.  He seemed immediately to be P.O.’ed that two-wheeled men in lycra were present.  Rego and Garnett passed #2 S.R. to continue south on Walker’s.  The pick-up truck came to an abrupt stop, purposely to be a *&%#. 

Cavanagh made a motion like “what the #*&! mate” and rode an inch off his bumper; immediately you knew this guy was looking for trouble.  He gunned it and went ahead to Garnett and Rego and did a swerve and brake test.  Rego went ballistic with arms flailing in the air.  Garnett gave him the “what the  #*&! is your problem?” routine. 

We rode by, thinking they are just gonna yell at each other and that will be it.  Well………..not!  I think I heard a CRUNCH sound, then the pick-up truck raced ahead of us with Garnett in the back; like a ‘Dukes of Hazzard’ incident.  I thought Garnett was just acting like a lunatic but could not believe my eyes as the guy raced off, swerving all over the road with Garnett freaking out in the back. 

What happened was the idiot truck driver played brake tag with Garnett and Rego.  Garnett’s bike hit the lowered tailgate throwing him into the back of the truck.  His bike was now toast, being accordioned by the impact.  The rear window was a slider and they were freaking out at each other.  In the pick-up bed there was a baseball bat-sized piece of lumber and Garnett grabbed this and started beating the *$%# out of the rear window and top of the cab!

We took chase.  There was one more slow up where the guy was maybe thinking of letting Garnett out.  Rego caught up and was undoing his front wheel because he was going to stick his fork blade through the truck.  He couldn’t get it off in time and off again went the truck.  I thought this guy was going to drive forever with Garnett in the back. 

Scul and Marangi were up ahead in the sag van and could hear there was a huge commotion.  With his truck stopped on the side of the road, Gary put his life literally on

the line and stood in the middle of the road forcing the truck to stop.  We converged on this moron.  Garnett jumped out, Rego was ballistic, Tony A. had his arm inside the cab of the truck trying to turn off the ignition, Jid was actually taking the rear wheel air cap off the tire and letting the air out!!  I figured we were going to hog tie this moron for the cops but he was not going to stick around with like, eight on one, and by now others had caught up too.  The driver had had enough and screeched out almost sideswiping Gary’s van and taking Tony’s arm with him. 

911 was called on Marangi’s cell phone and the cops were on the scene quickly as one was nearby on Appleby.  Rego and Garnett spent a lot of time in the car giving their account.  One of the Gears club guys is a lawyer as well and he saw all the shenanigans.  The cop was really good, gonna charge the guy with hit and run, dangerous use of a motor vehicle, the whole nine yards!  Unreal!

The redneck was later arrested and charged with criminal negligence.

Wow, what a story! (ed.)  Thanks to Chris Kiziak. 

So, the next day, you’d think Garnett might stay home to lick his wounds and bask in that Good Friday victory?…..no way.  He was there at 8:00 a.m. at Hwy. 5 and Walker’s Easter Sunday morning and did a four hour ride.  This Garnett Abbey is one tough dude!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!

Rob Cheskey                                  June 30^th          

Henry Dudko                                  May 12^th

Dave Harrison                               June 3^rd

Dennis Kings                                 May 6^th

Matthew Kings                              May 4^th

Eli Kiriakopoulos                May 8^th 

GOOD FRIDAY ROAD RACE 2002

by Donald Sloan

The Good Friday Road Race has come and gone for another year and it gives me great pleasure to report it was, as usual, a resounding success.         

When it snowed on the Wednesday before race day I became apprehensive and had thoughts of perhaps having to cancel the race, but by the end of the day the sun was shining and the snow had all but disappeared.       

Early Friday morning in Guelph it was cold and sunny and soon riders started to appear just as the registration tent was being erected. When the tent was finished the experts (Rob, Sandy, Judy, Marissa and Tim) took over and in no time riders were registered and munching on Tim Hortons donuts and coffee.         

Near race time the Guelph Police arrived and appraised the situation ensuring the Community Services marshals were in place and the signage and road barriers were erected.         

We had almost fifty riders in the Juniors and Vets B, C, D classes and it was decided to run the Juniors as a separate race, starting three minutes after the Vets.         

The only mishap of the day occurred in the Vets A where about a dozen riders went down. Fortunately no one was seriously hurt but it did almost half the field. The other races ran smoothly with lots of exciting sprints.  

In the last race Chris Kiriakopoulos, our announcer and race commentator, took a collection from the spectators and had two additional cash primes of forty and fifty dollars as an added bonus to the cash prizes of the race. Chris supplies the club with the start/finish stand and gives the whole area an air of professionalism and big time racing. I must also make comment on his ‘UCI’ approved music during the races. Great stuff!         

I should also like to publicly thank Greg Cavanagh who donated his third place prize money in the Vet A race to the club as a gesture of good will and sportsmanship.         

This year the race was very early and consequently the registration was down about fifty riders from last year. However, while the final tally is yet to be announced, I am confident the Club made a small profit.         

It would be remiss of me to say the race was a success without thanking the executive and the volunteers who make this great race happen year after year. In other years the club president has organized this race and done the bulk of the work, However this year the executive did most of the organizing and I watched from the sidelines. To all the executive, Frank Morrow, Randy Brown, Keith Oliver, Martin Reid, George Garrett, Rob and Sandy Cheskey, I owe a debt of thanks for all their time and patience and long suffering of me and I congratulate them on running the ‘perfect race’. 

Peter Morris and Martin handled the driving duties aided and abetted by Keith to ensure the commissaires had transportation. 

Marissa Cheskey looked after the coffee and donuts while her boyfriend Tim was pressed into service at the finish line computer to get the results sorted out and printed for all to see a few minutes after the race was completed.         

Other volunteers were Pat Conway, Judy Daniel, Peter Schouten and his son Ryan who erected the barriers at the start/finish, to all of them I offer the club’s thanks.         

I am sure there were many more helpers than the ones I have mentioned and to all of you I offer a special thank you, without you the race would not be possible.         

You will notice I have omitted the race results   and for these you should look in the club web site where as well as results you will see some of Martin’s exciting photographs of the race. For those of you who do not know, Martin is the keeper of our very excellent site.         

To all concerned, be it racer or helper I offer you my thanks again and wish you all a very successful season whether it be racing or pleasure.

MOSPORT FOG BOWL

April 14^th, 2002

Excitement gripped the racing fraternity when word came out that the Cobourg Cycling Club was using Mosport Speedway for a bicycle race.  It seems that a rare Sunday was available when vehicles of the motorized sort were not using the track.  

Just driving the 140 kilometres from my house to get there was challenging enough; visibility was greatly reduced by thick fog.  

Once there, I could hear announcer Keith Davidge’s voice during the first race, but had to search to find the track and start-finish area.  Maybe the fog would lift for our race?  It didn’t.  Wet and cool conditions, grit spraying up, typical early-season racing; we were lucky on Good Friday!  

The course, a 4-kilometre loop, was curvy and undulating, with a hairpin turn following a sharp rise.  We had to slow down for this on our bikes; can’t imagine cars or motorcycles taking it too fast.  

You couldn’t get any sort of overview of the course because of only 50’ – 100’ visibility.  The curves would ‘happen’ right in front of us, as our pack of fifty or so riders sped around.  There was a long grinder climb that thinned out the field.  

Halfway through our twenty-lapper, my front tire went flat.  Flagging down a following vehicle, I was told I’d have to walk to the ‘wheel pit’ area; there were no wheels in the car.  I walked and walked, must have been 2 ½ kilometres back to the start/finish.  My race was done but I cheered on the other H.C.C.’ers in the race – Dave Woolley (8^th), Garnett Abbey (9^th), Chris Kiriakopoulos, Brian Chewter and Linda Simonsen (in the Women’s race).   

I hope we get to race this venue again when it’s not foggy and I don’t get a flat tire.

Springbank Road Race

May 5^th, 2002

This annual classic has been colder than our earlier Good Friday Race on occasion.  Not this time around, though.  It was definitely time to put away the woollies, with the thermometer reaching near 20° by afternoon.  Early on, there was yet a nip in the air, and one Woolley refused to be put away, our DAVE WOOLLEY, that is.  Yes, Dave powered to a 3^rd place finish in the Master B, C, D event, with teammate FRED PEPPER right behind in 4^th.  Also in the same peloton were GARNETT ABBEY, CHRIS KIRIAKOPOULOS, MIREK MAZUR and myself, and……yes, I flatted again.  HENRY DUDKO and SHANE LAVELL raced in the Senior 3 race. 

COMBINE TIME TRIAL, RACE # 1

APRIL 18, 2002

BRAMPTON CYCLING CLUB, CHELTENHAM

Time Keepers: Ted Jukes, Marva Taylor

Volunteers: David McDonald, Earle Jukes, Maria Rigato

H.C.C. 45K B.A.R.

Saturday, May 4^th, 2002

by Randy Brown

I got to Balaclava School at 7:30 a.m. and set up the finish line and cones at the two right turns.  The temperature was barely edging over 10°C.  Frank Morrow was the first to arrive while I was getting warmed up riding in the parking lot.  Then a new member, Colin Kemball, drove in.  Actually he signed up there and then.  Shane Lavell was the next to arrive.  Then as 9:00 a.m. arrived we agreed that it was to be a four-man race.  We started out up Centre Road and Colin and Shane were moving well.  Frank was off the back but got on again at Mountsberg Road.  The pace was hard up the steep climb on Mountsberg and Frank said see you later.  Colin, Shane and I did a gentlemanly rotation and kept the pace fairly high.  Colin accelerated on the second Mountsberg hill on the second lap of three and got a good gap but he relented and we regrouped.  We were together on the final leg of the race but only for a few metres.  Colin jumped into a slight headwind and as Shane and I responded only Shane could get Colin’s wheel again.  Colin outsprinted Shane and I soloed back.  Colin apparently was ranked Senior I or Senior II a few years back and is obviously still pretty fast.  Shane only took up cycling last August but was a 31-minute 10k runner so he’s destined to do well on the bike.  Sorry to miss the presence of the rest of our club racers.  Shane said he hoped he could do alright at Springbank on Sunday so maybe some were resting up for that race.  Remember, the more the merrier, I always say. 

By the time you read this, we’ll have done the first few events on our club’s racing calendar:  Randy’s Ride (April 14^th), our 40K B.A.R. Road Race (Saturday, May 4^th) and C.T.T.A. 15K events at Cheltenham and Corwhin. 

“Where the hell is Corwhin,” you say?   This is a new 15K course, used by the Oakville Cycling Club, located toward Guelph on #20 Side Road otherwise known as Road #34.  The start/finish is just west of 1^st Line, north of Moffat and car parking is on 1^st Line north of #20 Side Road.  The turnaround point (out and back) on #20 Side Road is near Hwy.#46 (old Hwy.#6).  The pavement quality is good; hopefully traffic isn’t too heavy.

THURSDAY 15K T.T. SERIES

Thursday evening time trials are underway at our White Swan Road course, which is west of Ancaster, south of Hwy.2/53.  This will be the regular home of the Thursday T.T.’s for 2002.  Last year’s fastest time, a 20:25, was done by Mirek Mazur. 

HELPERS ARE NEEDED FOR TURN MARSHAL AND TIME KEEPING.

Thursday Night 15K Time Trial

May 2^nd, 2002 – White Swan Road

Time Keeper – Randy Brown <