close to the end-o-summer

and i for one am glad to se it go. i've whinged enuf about all the various ways it sucked, so let us say i am looking forward to what comes ahead.

but, one last lookback at a sweet last dad-girl bonding ride, before she heads off to school. fitty one miles ( the luckiest number in bike racing, and my racing age next year when i git back on it . . . . ). beautiful first day of the cool breezes after the insane heat, too. also had 2 most cool unexpected friends stop by, one we hadn't seen in 12 years or so, and another for only months, but too long nonetheless.

so, bye bye girl !! daddy will miss you. we found a favorite ride-spot for a pic - not many door cty non-locals have seen this spot-o-interest - a gate of a most ominous and eerie nature tucked away in a wood of a seriously enchantedish threatening demeanor. i would tell you what is behind it, but i we woulda had to have looked back there to know . . . . . . . and i ain't going and MK damn sure ain't. vampires, most likely. perhaps witches, and possibly both.

there is only one story this week

and that is the uncovering of surfin turf skatepark, in greenfield. i guess a road project took down the old building and LO !! contrary to rumour, the bowls were still entirely intact ( with a couple extensions missing. then, it picked up some press, teevee coverage, and a ton of guys with shovels dug out the smallest bowl.

only to have the powers that be knock the gravel back into it.

at this point the future is uncertain. i hear the roadway is NOT going over the site, so there is hope. this spot should be saved. it was one of the last great skateparks built before the bowlriding bust came ( due to insurance, land values, and other factors ). while small, some of its features were among the best ever built - and the park can hold its own among any mention of the best parks of all time. . . . marina del ray, cherry hill, getaway, you name it. to this day, the construction techniques used are a bit of a lost art, and the transitions and smoothness of the place is not felt in modern offerings.

letters are being written, and support sought with the biggest players in action sports. in cycling terms, this would be like uncovering a velodrome in NYC where major taylor once raced. god. i hope they do not blow this one. it's a one-time chance to restore a legendary and completely irreplaceable spot for everybody.

youtube " santa cruz streets on fire ", and witness. that was almost 20 years ago. this place rules.

what, no unicorns ??

so, with my new firm resolution in mind, i set out for some ridin. a friend noted to me that jesse lalonde kick-started his fitness by winning the duo class at 24-9. i decided on a SLIGHTLY more modest approach to my own comeback effort, however.

above we see a small portion of the famed "bianca strada" of door cty, discovered by russell, and now a staple of every 50 mile ride outta town. i rounded up two suitable training companions, MK ( who has also been slacking off the bike for a year, albeit with far better reasons ) and - just in case MK has gotten back into shape without me knowing and thus likely to crush me - a raw beginner 20 y/o daughter of a friend of ours, who is also a D-1 heptathlete. first order of business was adjusting the heptathlete's new trek into ridable shape after the pathetic - nonexistant, really - job stadium did when they they sold it to her. talkin a saddle height 2 inches too low, etc etc. . . . . . sigh.

anyway, we headed up to see if those butterflies pictured above were still hanging out on the bianca strada, and to peer deep into the surrounding enchanted forest for unicorns. it was a fine ride indeed.

but - lemme just say - i still have no real idea what a heptathlon is . . . . . except to note that whateverthehell it might be, it leaves 20 y/o participants of it in crazy-good shape !! ill-fitting and dorked out trek aside, that girl was hammering. and, once we got her hooked onto the whole wheelsucking thing, she was smiling that smile that comes from experiencing the cool dynamic of a sweet road ride, on sweet roads, with everybody lookin out for each other for the very first time. she and MK are goin out for more this week ( the old man's job is done ).

ironically, after that we entertained the original founder of stadium bike for the eve - and reminiced about the days when that shop ( nowadays it is a store, not a shop ) was the most happenin around by far. how things change . . . . .