Got to see one of the last big-time stayer races ever at the World Championships in Montreal in 1974 on the 250 meter wooden "fish bowl" velodrome (a dupe exists to this day at the Nat. Sports Center in Blaine, MN). Staying races were amazing. A rider could be a minute behind and 5 laps back! It was already the dregs of track racing at the time and pulled from the WC events shortly after. BUT, to see these guys on their weird bikes sucking wheel on 650 cc open exhaust Triumphs piloted by Michelin Man look alikes was mind blowing. And you could sip a "good LaBatt" beer at the same time. Went to the can and found a spot where I could sight right down the straitaway to get the full impression of these duos rocketing towards me. They averaged over 45 mph! No phallic gas tanks, but what a blast!
Phil Van Valkenberg
a.k.a. Pee Oui Roubaix
> It's very odd to see the aerodynamic concerns set on their heads: the
\r?\n> motorcyclist wants to create a big slipstream for the bicyclist and thereby,
\r?\n> he doesn't need to crouch down and tuck in. So the motorbike rider sits
\r?\n> straight up on his preposterously unaerodynamic machine and the pedaller
\r?\n> assumes a more comfortable position too. They're not the postures we're
\r?\n> used to seeing.
\r?\n>
\r?\n> I got down to Larz after the awards were handed out. Attendance looked
\r?\n> pretty good and the swap meet aspect was good. I was particularly thrilled
\r?\n> to see David White's fabulous Art Stump drillium deluxe bike (photos of it
\r?\n> before David cleaned up the corrosion are on the CR website). It took an
\r?\n> award for best restored, I believe. David said that the "restoration"
\r?\n> didn't involve painting at all - more like endless cleaning up.
\r?\n> "Restoration" - a word that means a lot of different things to different
\r?\n> people!
\r?\n>
\r?\n> David Bean
\r?\n> Arlington, MA USA
\r?\n> beandk at are-see-enn dot com