Weird, I've been coming across old friends and names of other cyclists I've known and or rode with from a ways back 1990 thru 2000... and it's been happening frequently lately.
A few weeks back I was out on a solo long ride and hooked up with another out on the rather quiet and decent training road in the vicinity of the Mattson paint factory where they do Tuesday night training crits. NOTE I haven't been in one in about that long. Anyway, we get to talking and he mentioned some guys I'd ridden and raced with at one time back in the 90s. Jim Marshall was one of them mentioned. He talked about these guys as having been around for ever (made me feel a bit old) so I turned up the pace a while (lol).
I was reading a forum post a couple weeks ago and another name popped up that I've known longer than the previous conversation! Guy's name is Scotty Pearson. Funny thing is I remember when Scott and I first met, we were putting the hurt on each other doing a century.Early in our cycling careers so to speak but had that special somethin on a hot day doing a long ride. He would know me as banana man. LOL The first time (I think) we rode together I attempted to toss a just finished banana over my shoulder and out of our way, and I went down in the process. OUCH, and that was around 1990. We used to be able to put the hurt on each other way back then, and I see that longevity has paid off because he turned out to be quite accomplished all these years later. banana man...did I mentioned I was probably on some Profile Aero three bars in the tuck position while throwing it (WTF?!) Those bars were trippy looking...
I've reacquainted with one of my grammar school friends whom he and I lived on our BMX bikes a long time ago in a galaxy far far far away. John Lebak on facebook! Regardless of how some people trash stuff like facebook, its real cool to reaquant with old friends like that... John still rides today, road downhill etc out west. A friend who was into riding with me when BMX was new and guys like Stu Thomson, Perry Kramer, RL Osborn, Bob Haro made local appearances at the local racetracks to race etc. We LIVED on those things and hit every jumping area within riding distance. Some great trails on some cool bikes.Another friend who is still around the bike.Even after all this time.
Now the most recent reminder of years gone by happened over the last day. I remember putting the hurt on and eventually riding together as stronger riders with a guy named Jim Host. I stumbled upon his name while reading a local racers blog this morning. He and I would be one of the riders ALWAYS putting the hurt on in our group way back then...We both got our start in group riding with a club called the Bike Psychos. I see he is still racing and again is another rider who looks to be accomplished. It's an interesting pattern. Longevity pays off. No doubt....I haven't raced in about 10 years, but I'm still around and have never strayed very far from the bike (outside of racing), except for a period of extended illness a number of years ago.
Another of the guys I rode with back in the day and occasionaly with him again as of late is a guy named Mike Seguin. Back, way back, he and I would tear up the trails out in Palos. He used to ride hard as well, and we would be off hurting ourselves each time we hooked up. He is moving up in category and doing very well racing all these years later. Another logevity and "likes to put the hurt on" rider from way back. It's cool to see and come across these names again, and it's cool they are(as well as me) still around the bike. I have been wondering lately though, if things were different and I never left racing in the sport. How far would I have gone.All the guys who I rode with really doing well. It also lit a light bulb above my head!, and mentioned in a recent email (ironicly enough) to stick around. Maybe longevity will make me improve once again "in time". All these friends have proven it. You can't rush it, but consistency over time will make you achieve great things, it just cant be rushed. I overlooked that. I'm sticking around...
Allez!
Ray
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