When Beavers Attack!!!

photo by Ed Falsken

I'm a running fool.

AToC 2008

Since I was 14, just about every cycling daydream I've had has been commentated on by "Sir" Phil Liggett (I've gone ahead and Knighted him because he's pretty damn near cycling royalty in my mind...)

"And it's an attack by the young man from California!!"
"Meiers has CRACKED!"

From the times when he was partnered with John Tesh at CBS for Paris Roubaix and the Tour de France to his current partnering with Paul Sherwen, Phil's voice has remained THE voice of cycling for me.

So when I had a chance to meet him a couple of weeks ago, I was effing giddy! It's not usually the riders that I get star struck by. It's the people around the race or behind the scenes that cause me to freeze in my tracks and lose all sense of cool.

"Holee crap that's Emma O'Reilly!!"
"Did you see Len Pettyjohn?!?!?"
"Dude, take a picture of me and Freddy Viaene!"

Thanks to La for taking this picture of me and one of stars of the sport!

Oh, and yes RB, I flipped out when I saw Graham Watson on the back of the motocycle going up Sierra!!

Fav Phil Liggett quote (1987 Tour de France, Mt. Ventoux TT):

"Its only a mountain, one of many you can see on this French Country morning, but for 171 young men it would be a place where they would dare to ask themselves the questions of greatness"

Meet the Beaver

photo by Ed Falsken


After watching Big Fro guy and Antler Guy run along the field in th AToC, I figured I had to bust out my own outfit and rep Team Fremont on Versus.

That's me in my bear hat with handfuls of money for the guys climbing up Sierra Rd. My team mates think it's a beaver head so I figure we'll go with that. Noone took the special "prime" I was offering (guess my stripper ones weren't good enough for the protour guys...)

I'll post more AToC pics soon.

I've got to give props to AEG for the very cool AToC this year. I got to attend the Team Presentation in Sausalito before the race start, hung out at the prologue in Palo Alto and then acted a fool on Sierra. Every part of it was top-shelf. I'm looking forward to next year.

~b