Fifty Plus (50+) - Proof that I belong in the 50+ forum

I recently stumbled upon this photo of me finishing third in a race in Galesburg, IL, waaaay back in 1985 or thereabouts. Talk about a blast from the past.

I had no idea I was finishing in the top three - I had long since lost contact with the lead group, which I swore was greater than 2 (at least one person ahead of me must have dropped out at some point). All I knew for sure, was that going into the first turn of the final lap, I was passed by the guy in the leather hairnet. So I took the opportunity to hop on his wheel and rest for that whole lap, only to take an inside line in the final turn to nip him at the finish.

It was the only moment of glory in my short-lived racing career, which began and ended in Citizen's Class, the precursor to what I believe is now called Cat 5.

http://i404.photobucket.com/albums/pp129/cburgess54/progress/Scan0001.jpg

Wow...sporting a Bell 'Biker' helmet no less. Cool.

What bike are you riding in that pic?

Hey, is that Bronco Nagurski in the leather helmet?

Probably earlier than 85. The large fellow behind you appears to be using Weinmann sidepulls. They pulled from the side opposite Campag or Shimano. I didn't think anyone was using Weinmanns anymore in 85. They were popular in the 70's, since only the wealthy or professionals could afford (or were given) $90 Campag brakes...

L.

Losing the bar tape to drop some weight is always a good move.

Nice picture. Those look like the kind of bike I had in the early 80's. I loved that thing- The color was called Champaigne. I loved that bike. Sold it at a yardsale after kids.

That guy behind you looks so heavy for that bike!

The bike was a 1984 Gitane Tour de France, which is how I figured out the race was in '85. It surprised me, too, when I figured that out, as for many years now I "remembered" that I started racing in my 20s, and this clearly proves I started at 30 (I had a couple of races the year before this, on an old Sekai touring bike).

It was a fun bike, with some unusual components - Ofmega Mistral crankset, brakes and derailleurs. And this was obviously before I upgraded to those first-generation white Look pedals. It was reddish-orange, with a very fine-grained metallic base and the old "balloon" style Gitane logo, even on the front of the chrome fork. Like a red (and less expensive) version of the bikes Lemond and Co. rode when they were with Renault-Elf. And it had bar tape - it just doesn't show up well in the photos because it was that old "Velo" brand shiny plastic stuff that was so popular (and uncomfortable) back then (at that time, about the only other choice was woven cotton). Mine was bright yellow, to play off the yellow outlines of the Gitane graphics, and the yellow brake hoods and saddle (Selle Italia Turbo). My bike, if not me, was certainly stylin'. ;)

Also note the wheels - what was then in-your-face graphics, with "ASPIN" spelled out in between the spokes. It looks so tame nowadays.

One other note - I was absolutely wiped by the time I finished. I thought my knees were going to buckle climbing up to and down from the hay-bale "podium," where I got a nice little glass jar with the sponsoring hospital's name on it. I still use it to keep my daily change.

Gosh, the guy behind you looks to have the old Bell V1 Pro helmet.

Gosh, the guy behind you looks to have the old Bell V1 Pro helmet.

It was actually an old "leather hairnet" type of helmet. The old saying was the only thing they were good for was to hold your brains together on the way to the hospital.

...And it had bar tape - it just doesn't show up well in the photos because it was that old "Velo" brand shiny plastic stuff that was so popular (and uncomfortable) back then (at that time, about the only other choice was woven cotton). Mine was bright yellow, to play off the yellow outlines of the Gitane graphics, and the yellow brake hoods and saddle (Selle Italia Turbo). My bike, if not me, was certainly stylin'. ;)

...

Is that like Benotto cello tape? I had 'em on my bikes, too. Thankfully '80s bling has morphed into something (slightly) more useful. :)

Yes, that's it, Benotto cello, not "velo" - clearly I misremembered the name. Thanks for the reminder. My brother had their orange tape on his pearl-finished Peugeot back then. It was stunning. Too bad it had zero grip to it, and even less padding. Speaking of my brother, I see by your avatar that you and he have something in common. One of the few bikes he's held onto from our misspent youth is a 3Rensho.

CraigB: I like that you are smiling in the photo, shows you are enjoying yourself. Or.... Is that a grimace???

Craig, I must say there are some nuances in your pic that speak to the 50+s, starting w/ the b&w composition. Crochet cycling gloves, clips and straps (can you come up w/ the last pro to still ride clips & straps?), lo-pro alu rims, early lycra shorts and what looks like an early polypro jersey, and maybe DP or Duegi shoes? It's also interesting to note how many folks' first "real" bikes were French; I had a PX-10 which I should have hung onto, but the vast majority of the parts that used to hang on it are now sitting on my 3Rensho. At least your brother had the good sense to hang onto his. :thumb:
Yep, I loves me my skinny tube bikes.

Craig, I must say there are some nuances in your pic that speak to the 50+s, starting w/ the b&w composition. Crochet cycling gloves, clips and straps (can you come up w/ the last pro to still ride clips & straps?), lo-pro alu rims, early lycra shorts and what looks like an early polypro jersey, and maybe DP or Duegi shoes? It's also interesting to note how many folks' first "real" bikes were French; I had a PX-10 which I should have hung onto, but the vast majority of the parts that used to hang on it are now sitting on my 3Rensho. At least your brother had the good sense to hang onto his. :thumb:
Yep, I loves me my skinny tube bikes.
Wild Guess: Sean Kelly?

^^^
Yep, that's my answer, too, and I'm sticking with it. I need to go find that pic I saw somewhere taken in the '90s(?) where everyone in the pic is clipless, except for Kelly...

CraigB: I like that you are smiling in the photo, shows you are enjoying yourself. Or.... Is that a grimace???

That's the "Burgess men workface," as my sister-in-law describes it. It's a kind of toothy grimace that my brother and I unconsciously learned from our father, whenever we do anything even remotely strenuous.

Craig, I must say there are some nuances in your pic that speak to the 50+s, starting w/ the b&w composition. Crochet cycling gloves, clips and straps (can you come up w/ the last pro to still ride clips & straps?), lo-pro alu rims, early lycra shorts and what looks like an early polypro jersey, and maybe DP or Duegi shoes? It's also interesting to note how many folks' first "real" bikes were French; I had a PX-10 which I should have hung onto, but the vast majority of the parts that used to hang on it are now sitting on my 3Rensho. At least your brother had the good sense to hang onto his. :thumb:
Yep, I loves me my skinny tube bikes.

Yeah, everything about the pic is dated. The jersey was an early Cannondale, from back when they were mostly in the garment and pack business - well before they got into bikes themselves. My recollection is that it was cotton, though I could be wrong. I've forgotten the manufacturer of the shoes - they could have been Duegis. All I remember for sure is they were the cheapest cleated shoe I could find, and they offered no padding, protection or support to speak of. Just thin leather bonded to the sheet steel soles. All the leather did was keep your foot attached to the soles, and turn your socks dark blue when they got wet.

Curiously, I just sold this bike a couple of years ago. As fond as I was of it, the friction shifters and an easily flexed frame were a combination that led to its retirement when I got my index-shifting Trek aluminum in 1989. I'd had enough of its tendency to up-shift on its own when I'd get out of the saddle. Plus it had the typical French paint job - it was so soft that you could scratch it by looking at it hard. A couple of off-seasons on the wind trainer actually wore through the paint on the underside of the bottom bracket where the frame met the trainer's rubber padding. I harbored fantasies of stripping it completely, getting it refinished with some nice Imron and rebuilding it. Never happened.

Speaking of dated, I did a double take back in the fall when I saw a guy riding a brand new Cervelo RS with... Toe clips and leather straps with platform pedals.
I didn't see what sort of shoes he had on but I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

That almost could have been me. I was going to move the Campy pedals from my Crescent to the Trek 2100, but my old Detto Pietro's from the 70's don't fit any more. My niece started out using my Gant Racer crocheted gloves until I got her a more modern pair of gel gloves.

I belong here, but I don't belong here.

I belong here, but I don't belong here.

Who the fark even knows what this means? If you figure it out, tell me.

Who the fark even knows what this means? If you figure it out, tell me.
Which of your apparent multiple personalities should we tell?

When I started riding again a couple of years ago thought I'd died and gone to heaven when I started using clipless pedals. I still remember the day a friend of mine came to my house on a brand new bike he picked up in Europe. Stefan pulled up into the driveway, came to a halt, got stuck in the clips and fell over.. both feet in the clips.
One of my other buddies said that he wished that he'd had that on film.... Hmm.. and he was the one who had a leather helmet...

Which of your apparent multiple personalities should we tell?

Tell me.

Tell me.

Yeah, tell him.

Yeah, tell him.
:lol:

I recently stumbled upon this photo of me finishing third in a race in Galesburg, IL, waaaay back in 1985 or thereabouts.

http://i404.photobucket.com/albums/pp129/cburgess54/progress/Scan0001.jpg

I'm sorry, a long-form birth certificate is now required for admittance to the 50+ forum. ;)

"Proof" would be a notarized copy of your passport or birth certificate. Didn't you have to submit one to post on this sub-forum?

How about the fact that I even recognize brands that have been bantied about in this thread, like Bell Bikers ,Detto Pietro, Gant, Benotto, Cannondale clothing? Or others I can add: Silca plastic frame pumps, Columbus tubing, Vittorio Nuovo Pro tubulars, Kirtland Tour Pak handlebar and under-saddle bags, Avocet saddles, shoes and computers, or Specialized when all they made were components and tires. Or how about freewheel removers? American Cyclist magazine? Winning magazine? Maynard Hershon? BikeCentennial? Skid-Lids?

OK, my memory is now officially exhausted.

;)

Oh, I see how it is now, we have to prove that we belong here...huh... OK, well, I'll tack onto Craig's list with: Bata Bikers, Huret cyclometer, Gookinaid ERG, bike catalogs from PA Bikes, Bikecology, Bike Nashbar, ... and real leather chamois. My memory has just BSOD'd, so I'll have to let it reboot to come up with some more. ;)

How could I have forgotten Bata Bikers - I had a pair, along with those grey and black "saddle shoe" Avocets. I'd also forgotten about Bikecology. Remember when the product illustrations in Nashbar's (or "Bike Nashbar" as it was called back then) catalogs were black and white ink drawings instead of photographs? And they never had anything in stock, at least whenever I tried to order.

I only had one pair of real leather chamois shorts - and I think they were early ones from Performance. The chamois was unbelievably thin, and it was like sandpaper if you didn't treat it. Fortunately I had a friend who clued me into the fact that you could simply grab it in both hands and rub it against itself and it would soften up without the need for chamois cream or ointments. Until the next time you washed it, anyway.

How could I have forgotten Bata Bikers - I had a pair, along with those grey and black "saddle shoe" Avocets. I'd also forgotten about Bikecology. Remember when the product illustrations in Nashbar's (or "Bike Nashbar" as it was called back then) catalogs were black and white ink drawings instead of photographs? And they never had anything in stock, at least whenever I tried to order.

I only had one pair of real leather chamois shorts - and I think they were early ones from Performance. The chamois was unbelievably thin, and it was like sandpaper if you didn't treat it. Fortunately I had a friend who clued me into the fact that you could simply grab it in both hands and rub it against itself and it would soften up without the need for chamois cream or ointments. Until the next time you washed it, anyway.

I had a few pairs of wool shorts with real chamois. They were made by Kool Gear(?) or some such name. The chamois would soften up after a couple miles of butt sweat. TMI:eek:

My first helmet was a Brancale(sp), remember those white ones with the blue stripe that looked like hockey helmets?

After all these years, I still prefer the knitted cotton and leather gloves.:50:

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_GW75NWraW4E/SeFBodeFDkI/AAAAAAAACQk/fCottEME43Y/84BJonroadrideonunivegagranturismo.jpg

Humm, never raced but this is ME in 1984, riders wore "helmets"?? All I ever knew of was the "leather hair net". Then in 85 I got a cool "Skid Lid". :thumb:

^^ Excellent examples of the old gum-rubber brake hoods. And an old-school jersey and cap, plus what appears to be a half-chromed fork, and I'm guessing cotton handlebar tape.

:lol: Pcad.

Here are my Exhibits A-F for entry into this exclusive club. Being a confirmed pack rat, I simply pulled these out of my bike parts box in the garage, where they have been sitting for 30 years. Finding a photo of me riding back then will be a lot harder.. :-( I was one of only 2 people I saw in the late seventies racing with a Bell helmet. It made for strong neck muscles.
Still need to find my Weyless wool shorts with real chamois which is still soft after all that time. That was a quality product!
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I recently stumbled upon this photo of me finishing third in a race in Galesburg, IL, waaaay back in 1985 or thereabouts. Talk about a blast from the past.

I had no idea I was finishing in the top three - I had long since lost contact with the lead group, which I swore was greater than 2 (at least one person ahead of me must have dropped out at some point). All I knew for sure, was that going into the first turn of the final lap, I was passed by the guy in the leather hairnet. So I took the opportunity to hop on his wheel and rest for that whole lap, only to take an inside line in the final turn to nip him at the finish.

It was the only moment of glory in my short-lived racing career, which began and ended in Citizen's Class, the precursor to what I believe is now called Cat 5.

Talk about racing career high points: I'd no idea that I'd placed third in Cat 3 & 4 at the Tour de Hogeye road race near Fayetteville, AR in 1977. I'd been dropped off the back on one of the numerous, steep climbs and was shocked to learn after I crossed the finish line that the pack was BEHIND me! Seems they'd missed one of the bright orange course markers and taken a wrong turn . . . :lol:
190741

Talk about racing career high points: I'd no idea that I'd placed third in Cat 3 & 4 at the Tour de Hogeye road race near Fayetteville, AR in 1977. I'd been dropped off the back on one of the numerous, steep climbs and was shocked to learn after I crossed the finish line that the pack was BEHIND me! Seems they'd missed one of the bright orange course markers and taken a wrong turn . . . :lol:
190741


That's pretty much what happened to me in that Galesburg race, except for the hills and wrong turn parts. It was flat, around the town square, and it didn't take long for the group ahead to get out of sight. I was genuinely shocked to learn I got third.

Here's a shot of me leading the race, though (I'm the 4th rider from the left):

http://i404.photobucket.com/albums/pp129/cburgess54/progress/galesburgstart03.jpg

;)

OK, one more, from a year or two earlier - my first exposure to bike racing - a Pro 1 & 2 criterium around the square in Madison, WI. My pals and I found the 7-11 team van parked on one of the side streets, and they took this shot of me with it. That's a Sekai touring bike - my first half-way decent bike, and the predecessor to the Gitane in the Galesburg pics. And I'm wearing those stupid Avocet shoes. It was also clearly before I discovered bike shorts.

Oh, and Davis Phinney won the race in a field sprint.

http://i404.photobucket.com/albums/pp129/cburgess54/progress/madison.jpg

Craig, I raced the Railroad Days Criterium several times before it's demise. It was definitely a favorite of mine. Along with your theme, here's a pic from the Rockford, IL Cat 4 race in 1984:

http://home.comcast.net/~trsnrtr/viner2.jpg

Craig, I raced the Railroad Days Criterium several times before it's demise. It was definitely a favorite of mine. Along with your theme, here's a pic from the Rockford, IL Cat 4 race in 1984:

http://home.comcast.net/~trsnrtr/viner2.jpg

Whereabouts are you from? I hadn't seen one of those Vitesse jerseys in decades. I got my first aluminum bike, a Trek 1500, from their Peoria Heights store in 1989 (I was born and raised in Peoria). Spent a lot of time hanging out with the guys at that shop. I still count Sam Joslin as one of my best friends, even though I moved away 25 years ago.

My short Citizen's Class career included two years at the Bloomington, IL, race, the Galesburg one, once at Leroy, once in Crystal Lake, IL, once in Madison, WI, and once in Athens, GA, while visiting a friend in Atlanta. After that I decided most of the guys in those races really belonged with you, in Cat 4, so I abandoned my dreams of unlicensed glory. ;)

OK, one more, from a year or two earlier - my first exposure to bike racing - a Pro 1 & 2 criterium around the square in Madison, WI. My pals and I found the 7-11 team van parked on one of the side streets, and they took this shot of me with it. That's a Sekai touring bike - my first half-way decent bike, and the predecessor to the Gitane in the Galesburg pics. And I'm wearing those stupid Avocet shoes. It was also clearly before I discovered bike shorts.

Oh, and Davis Phinney won the race in a field sprint.

http://i404.photobucket.com/albums/pp129/cburgess54/progress/madison.jpg

Swap out the shoes on the photo for a pair of Beta Bikers and everything comes together nicely.

Whereabouts are you from? I hadn't seen one of those Vitesse jerseys in decades. I got my first aluminum bike, a Trek 1500, from their Peoria Heights store in 1989 (I was born and raised in Peoria). Spent a lot of time hanging out with the guys at that shop. I still count Sam Joslin as one of my best friends, even though I moved away 25 years ago.

My short Citizen's Class career included two years at the Bloomington, IL, race, the Galesburg one, once at Leroy, once in Crystal Lake, IL, once in Madison, WI, and once in Athens, GA, while visiting a friend in Atlanta. After that I decided most of the guys in those races really belonged with you, in Cat 4, so I abandoned my dreams of unlicensed glory. ;)

I'm from the Peoria area. I raced for Vitesse from 1984 thru 1986 as a Cat 4 and Cat 3 and then from 1987 thru 1991 as a Cat 2 with MJF Racing. I'm pretty sure that I remember you from riding with the IVW. :)

You're an architect, right?

This was taken after 1989 cyclocross nationals in Milwaukee. Face look familiar, yet?

http://home.comcast.net/~trsnrtr/CX_1989.jpg

Ha! Denny! Is that you? Wow... Of course, now I get your handle. Yes, I'm an architect. You're remembering the right guy. Wow. Again.

Lest anyone else be confused, Dennis and his wife were mainstays of the Peoria area cycling scene when I lived there (and maybe still are, for all I know). He was one of the racers I always looked up to.

I remember after the Leroy race you asked if I'd won, and I said no. Then you asked if I got second, and I had to say no, again. Finally, after asking if I'd gotten third, Peggy said, "Craig, he's trying to ask how you did." I felt so bad to have to tell you I'd been dropped and didn't finish.

It didn't take me long to discover the thing I liked best about racing was not the competition, or the training, or the actual hard work that went into being able to do it well, but the fact that you had a closed, marshaled course that you could throw your bike around as fast as you were able to push it, something that other recreational riders seldom got to do. Beyond that, I had no taste for the required pain.

Please give my best to Peggy. She made my very first IVW group ride tolerable. It was one of those Saturday morning breakfast rides from Washington to Goodfield, and I went out way too fast and blew up. Peggy towed me the last 5 or 6 miles home.

I'm still every bit the weenie I sound. ;)

BTW, all of these photos were shot by Larry Davis, if you remember him - another old pal and architect I worked with at the time who rode.

Peggy and I are still riding though it's a lot slower. Age, health, and careers have taken their toll but we still get in a respectable amount of miles every year, take a few cycling trips and lead a Monday night ride with the local club. I bump in to Sam and Larry every now and then and am friends with them on FaceBook.

Peggy says that you are sweet for saying nice things about her. :)

Since we're strolling down memory lane, photo below shows me (standing second from right with a "porn star" mustache) and the other members of the SBC "Wild Bunch" Racing Team after we'd kicked ass at a road race in east Texas in 1987. (I'm NOT holding a trophy because I flatted about two miles from the finish and walked across the line. . . )
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That's a pretty disreputable-looking bunch, Steve. You look right at home there with that mustache. ;)

Peggy and I are still riding though it's a lot slower. Age, health, and careers have taken their toll but we still get in a respectable amount of miles every year, take a few cycling trips and lead a Monday night ride with the local club. I bump in to Sam and Larry every now and then and am friends with them on FaceBook.

Peggy says that you are sweet for saying nice things about her. :)

I understand completely about age and health taking their toll. That Trek is now too large for me (I seem to have gotten shorter), and a few years back a cervical disc issue came up that's making it clear that if I want to continue riding road bikes I need a different, better-fitting one. Most all of my riding over the past 4 or 5 years has been on a Fisher Marlin that I set up for pavement use. It's fun, but I miss real road bikes.

That's a pretty disreputable-looking bunch, Steve. You look right at home there with that mustache. ;)

"Disreputable" is too nice a term for describing us, Craig. We were all just plain bad:
http://ciocc-cat.angelfire.com/ciocc_cat_sport.html

I don't think I need any more proof than my current weight that I'm on the farside of 50. I have warm and fuzzy memories of riding with both Craig and Denny.

I don't think I need any more proof than my current weight that I'm on the farside of 50. I have warm and fuzzy memories of riding with both Craig and Denny.

Well, look who the Cat(erpillar) dragged in. Welcome, Samuel, to one of the two friendliest subforums here (the other being the Clydesdale/Athena group). I'm spending my lunch hour here right now, but I encourage you not to look closely at any or all of my other posting times.