Originally Posted by TCR
Here's my .02 cents:
I gotta say one thing though. There are some bad-azz masters out there!! Saw this one guy who had biceps the size of my legs and legs the size of my waist. He raced the 50+, took second, and then immediately raced the 40+. Last I saw he was leading a chase pack back up to a break away. Amazingly fit guys out there!!
I think you're referring to Kal Skalak, he's on the team (Excel) I ride for and is a great guy and good rider. The big bicepts you noted are a lot smaller then when I first saw him racing back in 1988 or so. He was a professional bodybuilder and Mr. Universe. His physical transformation over the years has been nothing short of remarkable. What you saw is only a shadow of what he used to look like in a skinsuit.
As far as the 50+ race my team managed to grab all three podium spots. We had one guy (Paul Rodriguez) go on a solo attack from the opening lap who managed to stay away. His lead over the bunch never got larger then 20 or 30 seconds, but anytime some kind of chase got going, Kal and the guys (John Rubic, Mark Helve with a couple of other guys) effectively managed to shut it down. On the last lap they were beginning to reel Paul in. That's when Mark Helve bridged up to Paul and helped him the last part of the lap and take the win. Mark came in 2nd with Kal taking the field sprint to round out the top three spots. WOOT. A good day for the team.
That 40+ 1/2/3 race was impressive. Mark Scott (winner) looked very strong in the finish.