All In - Wilderness 101

Well loyal and rabid fans of the NECS it is that time of the year when the trails and backroads of Coburn, PA roar with the sound of pain, suffering and celebration as the Wilderness 101 rolls through the region.
It is time to, like Mr. Bond, go all in.The entire year has been tailored for one goal, to make my hip last until that finish line pint glass is firmly in my grip. Once in hand I should be able to suffer through the next 2 weeks before I lay my head down for that fantastic nap that comes on when the anethesiologist puts you down for the count.

The Team Seagal Influence Marches North

It doesn't take shoddy news reporting/hacking of phone lines like the folks a New Corp need to do to get a good story. We here at the NECS simply go out and seek the stories that matter to the world and we do it the old fashion journalistic way by getting on our bikes and scouring the comunity for the news that matters. This past weekend there was a newsline of the magnitude that rivals the front page stories about the debt crisis (what the hell is the crisis, just stop spending more then you earn Uncle Sam, ah duh!)
As you recall from my foray into the deep south, MFXC, there is a cult like status to the Bathtub Mary's that populate the most dangerous section of highway in Missouri.Well it seems these Mary's, like the Africanized bees that plagued the country a decade ago, are in a migratory pattern and have begun to crop up on the some of the favorite loops of the NECS. On one of the trickier backroad descents I could feel the aura coming from this grotto-like Bathtub Mary and was able to grab enough brake to stop in time for this shot. Note the grotto like setting, perhaps an influence from the cliffs of the great Shawangunks that loom overhead.

NECS Superbowl Party TdF Style

We here at the NECS put a big emphasis on riding bikes and partying like rock stars, at least the rock stars on their retirement tours. Well when Bobke, Phil and Paul take to the airwaves for a very colorful rendition of the Tour de France, the NECS throw our version of a Super Bowl party and you can be sure when you have Top Chef on the roster the eats will be superb and in touch with the roots of the TdF.
The prerace festivities were kicked off with this selection of fine wines from the Bordeaux region and were complimented by a fresh baguette and an assortment of French cheese from the Pyrenees region.Once the first bottle had been drained it was into the kitchen where our one and only Top Chef was caught in this shot prepping a meal that could get any rider over the Col d'Aubisque.Then it was time to settle in for some seriously big mountains and what better way to take in the racing then on Braveheart's larger then life HD projection set up. You could almost smell the sweat pouring off the Europcar team as they paced Thomas V up the climbs.The intensity of the climbs along with all of the wine and food proved to be too much for Top Chef who was caught in the back seat of the team couch taking in some zzzz's after packing it in at the base of the final climb.

The Grandest Fondo

Well devout worshipers of the NECS,yet another spectacular Non Race is in the books and this one was more epic then ever. So epic in fact that only W.C. Fields could sum up the conditions - Yes, I was truly excited for what is fast becoming a landmark event the riding circles of upstate New York, almost as excited as a 16 yr. old about to be taken by dad to the local brothel for an education in life. As a result I was pacing the the rooms of the house in the predawn hours when suddenly there were several brilliant flashes followed by a tremendous boom and the ensuing torrential downpour. WTF! a thunderstorm at 4am and driving rains that would bring mere mortal riders to their knees (and for some of the NECS Wrecking Crew their mere mortality was revealed on the New Jersey Turnpike). Well fans, prayers were answered when the doorbell rang and it was none other then two time defending Beer Cross Champion, Senor Aqua, first to answer the call to duty. Based on the skills and abilities shown at this year's Beer Cross I knew that his mere presence was going to ensure a truly epic event. Soon after non racers began pouring into HQ faster then lemmings over a cliff and by Non Race time we had a fearsome pack of six idiots about to set out on a Grand Fondo ride in the pouring rain. And when I say pouring I mean pouring. Sure there were the bouts of light rain when in a moment of sheer delusion we all thought it was going to clear, then we saw this in the direction we were headed.With the pending clouds of doom looming ahead we pulled into the local Sack-o-Suds where provisions were taken on for the push to the Cima Coppi, the summit of Peekamoose and the 10 Euro prize.Earlier in the ride Fat Chick (aka Jenny Craig) noted that the last place we wanted to be in a passing thunderstorm was Peekamoose. Well a quick "fuck that, we need to do some climbing" from El Obamador and we were off to the backwoods of Peekamoose and the pending downpour which came shortly after hitting the base of the climb.While all of this was going down with the weather there was a whole other non race going on within the non race - the KoM competition and the bragging rights for bagging the Cima Coppi and the coveted "left over from the Giromania trip" 10 Euro note. At the base of each climb I. like Christian Prudome, would call the start and immediately it was El Obamador, Senor Agua and Tom Hill shooting off into the distance while Fat Chick, MacGyver and C-Dubs hopped on the Auto Bus to make the time cut. So casual were the three of us with some of the climbs that we took time out on the Cima Coppi for this shot of the waterfalls that come out after a good rain.Shortly after this the summit warriors were headed back down the mountain expressing serious concern for the well being of Team Lantern Rouge . Having secured our safety it was a group ride up Peekamoose until we passed what had been mistaken for the summit. Realizing the coveted Cima Coppi was still wide open the usual suspects sped off for the summit and Grand Fondo glory. This was the scene right afterwards –
The descent off the backside brought some of the heaviest rains of the day and for those of us with carbon rims and cork brake pads some of the scariest moments of the day. There is nothing quite like the feeling of having the break levers pulled to the bars, hands cramping and the bike slowly gaining speed! By the time every finger bone had broken from the pressure the road had finally straightened out and it was a high speed race for the bottom and you can imagine just how good the rain felt hitting your face at over 40 mph.
Having our fill of rain the decision was made make for a direct line back to HQ and the cooler full of growlers and bottles of IPA. This still left us with almost 30 miles to go so it was time for some serious pace line riding in the downpour which looked like this -
Finally back in the shelter of the man cave the high fives went around and everyone agreed that it was truly epic event and that anyone who rolled back under the covers instead of riding had a very poor decision.
KoM Champion – El Obamador
Cima Coppi Winner – El Obamador
Tom Hill is introduced to the infamous Team Seagal Braquito

Why All The Excitement?

Excited Pokemon kid by carstengp
I'll tell you why, tomorrow is Grand Fondo day, this kid was one of the lucky ones to get the sacred spoke cards, and the crowds will go wild for the swag that is being handed out for this monumental event.
Unbelievable spoke cards
KOM competition for a growler of Back N' Black IPA
Individual prizes (growlers and large format bottles) for summit finishes
Awesome BBQ featuring Team Seagal Braquitos
Mrs. C-Dubs incredible rum cake
Non Rules are simple
KOM points on each climb for the overall title
Summit prize for the 7th place over the top
10 Euro prize for the first over the Cima Coppi