[CR] 2011 Cirque

(Example: Racing:Jacques Boyer)

Date: Tue, 8 Jun 2010 13:37:47 -0700 (PDT)
From: "P.C. Kohler" <kohl57@yahoo.com>
To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
Subject: [CR] 2011 Cirque


Date: Mon, 7 Jun 2010 21:01:11 -0700 (PDT) From: John Ferguson <xrs2(AT)yahoo.com> Subject: [CR] 2011 Cirque

"Not that I'm really expecting this to happen, but how about holding it somewhere easy to get to by mass transit?

Seems ironic that a bike show is held somewhere that can only be gotten to by burning lots of fossil fuel. The selfish reason: I don't have a car or a license!

John Ferguson New York, NY"

Ah, but it is already near public transit, John! I don't drive. Never have. Never shall.

I cycled to Cirque on Sunday from East Falls Church metro station to the Fair Grounds, about a 31-mile run on the superb W&OD cycle path. Rode my '75 Gios Record and did it in about two hours. Exhibited my machine (even put a little sponge in my back pocket to clean the tyres off before showing her!) and, in advance of threatening clouds, cycled home. And, in full Brooklyn Team kit experienced a true "Sunday in Hell"... no fewer than three horrendous thunderstorms, had a lightening strike close to enough to feel the heat, got soaked to the point my wool jersey was practically down to my knees at the end, threw my rear wheel out of true, filthed my spotlessly groomed bike and, hooking up with three 20-something spandex and carbon roadies, had the ride of my life... I think we did the return in under an hour and a half. A near perfect Paris-Roubaix experience: fast, furious and filthy. And proof that a 35-year-old bike (and worse, a 52-year-old rider!) can still kick ass. It was almost as much fun as cycling out and back two years ago on my '72 Falcon in 103 deg heat.

So accessible. You betcha. And a much better racing stage of a ride than any of the organised Cirque ones, I wager!

Getting There is Half the Fun. It's the return that'll kill you.

Peter Kohler
Washington DC USA