Re: [CR]Sporting Tours & In the wheeltracks of the Greats.

(Example: Framebuilders:Tony Beek)

In-Reply-To: <008801c779f6$f4e2f9e0$0201a8c0@your19ggyl340s>
References: <008801c779f6$f4e2f9e0$0201a8c0@your19ggyl340s>
From: "Chuck Schmidt" <chuckschmidt@earthlink.net>
Subject: Re: [CR]Sporting Tours & In the wheeltracks of the Greats.
Date: Sun, 8 Apr 2007 10:33:04 -0700
To: CR RENDEZVOUS <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>


Ray Green wrote:
> Chuck wrote<I was a chunky 52 years old and didn't have any trouble
> doing all the climbs with a 39x22. Doing it again at age 63 I'd guess
> that I'd take a 39x24 or 26.>
> Clearly Chuck had a major adreneline rush. I don't know anybody who
> would want to climb a first cat or HC climb on 39x22 who hasn't got a
> contract with a Pro Tour team.

Ray, I guess when I said I didn't have any "trouble" doing all the climbs, what I really meant was that I didn't have to walk any, or stop to rest, or turn around. I sure wasn't doing any spinning up the climbs ala Lance. More like those pictures of Ottavio Bottecchia in the 1920s laboring up some gnarly rutted dirt climb with the entourage walking next to him with their hands in their coat pockets.

http://www.bloggers.it/embycicleta/itcommenti/bottecchia.jpg <http://www.lastampa.it/_web/_RUBRICHE/Libri/articolo/_img/ arti040723.jpg>

I useta do all the climbs around SoCal with a 42x21 like everyone else in my club back in the 1970s. What did I know??? Que es mas macho?

Chuck "use to be young and stupid, now old and stupid" Schmidt South Pasadena, CA USA http://www.velo-retro.com (reprints, t-shirts & timelines)