I can't say too many good things about this year's Cirque. The riding was spectacular, the people great as always, meeting old friends and getting to know new ones. I've got photos up with some captions and separated by the day. I'll try to fill in later with more, along with a more complete synopsis on my impressions. Check out the photos at:
http://community.webshots.com/
It was a smaller crowd and I can't for the life of me figure what reasons people would have to stay away. The riding was awesome, hot and sultry like a typical summer day in Baltimore, great for cutting into the wind and loving those miles. The long Saturday ride really picked up when we got off the W&OD trail, and scenery & quiet roads don't get much better. I wasn't able to keep up with the fastest, but got dropped slowly. The quality of bikes were even better than I remember in the past, the main hallway worth of bikes extended far into the hallway of rooms. There were some stunning vintage bikes out there, I got to ride some old and new with Charlie Young, Simon Firth, Jan Heine etc. on Saturday night riding a Cinelli SC, Singer, Viking, Vitus glued & screwed, Bilenky rando, my own and whatever anyone else brought out.
The Cirque itself was low key, but displays of W. B. Hurlow's bikes, Herse, Singer, a bunch of Cinelli's. Larry Osborn's original Carlton International was one of my favorites, and the younger builders were showing some really lovely rando, road, track and other type bikes that were pretty much stunners.
Many thanks to Wayne, MJ, John, Dale and all the folks volunteering to make the Cirque what it was. I'm sure it was a huge effort, and I enjoyed every part of it. Book the Best Western as soon as you can for next year. It's easier to cancel than to scramble at the last minute and doesn't go into your pocket until you show up. If you can't come at the last minute, there'll be room for those jump off the fence to join us. We need to take over the entire hotel. Plan for it. Getting back to real life and back to work was a let down. The Cirque is just too much fun!
Happy trails,
Dan Artley in Parkton, Maryland