VR #4 is now a memory and was the best yet! The weather was picture perfect with sunny skies and 80 degree temps. Thursday evening started with an excellent dinner at the Green Street Restaurant and a chance to catch up with old friends and make a few new ones. From there it seemed to be all-fun-in-fast-forward-mode! *Some* of the highlights were as follows.... (on Fridays ride) stomping on the pedals to make a light and have Brian Baylis pull his pedal out of the cranks and ping-pong between myself and Maurice before eating pavement-talk about a high adrenalin moment....I was riding a Mint 1969 Pogliaghi and fully expected to biff as well..... somehow further melee was avoided by all and we were treated to a sidewalk repair clinic put on by John Pergolizzi.... Brian was bloodied but unbowed....he managed to hang in the rest of the ride and then contest the final sprint back into the Aquatic center parking lot. Saturday started well with a genteel ride with Larry Osborn in and around the mansions of the Oak Knoll and Huntington Library area....then off to the new setting for the symposium that was quite nice as a change and each of the speakers were interesting and engaging....Peter Johnson's talk on 'Racing in the day' on mounts he built himself as a teenager was outstanding!! Everyone knows about his awesome frames but to hear about the genesis and evolution of building frames and racing them quite successfully was kind of a magic moment, as was Sunday, an all day love fest/bike lust saturation of incredible bicycles and CR folk...it was something akin to being a mosquito in a nudist colony....a lot of ground to cover and very limited time! The number of reeeeally cool bikes was mind-boggling. In the end, the best part was just hanging out with guys/gals like Baylis, (the Gian) Pergo, Johnson & Johnson, Aaron of the 'Wood", Scott, Charles, Jack and his molto speciale Dad, John M, Paulie, Larry, Ken, Jay as ever, Felix the Alfa Man, Maurice (my hero) B, Chris, Silas, Duane, David & David of NZ and on...oh and talking Pogliaghi with Ed Litton, seeing Bradley with baby Sophia, recounting the old Chicago and SoCal cycling days with Ted, the state of riding with Seth, the cornucopia of present frame builders with Sterling and perhaps best of all, darting about with JB, rested and ready with a full hall pass!
Humm...oh yes, there is a guy named Chuck. We have been specifically riding the old bicycles, on purpose even, for more than 10 years now. Back than it was Matt, Chuck and Brian Ignatin....the same 3 bikenuts for a long time, riding in and around LA/OC and down in San Diego. Lots of folk have come and gone *but* now it's better than ever...this weekend was better than ever....Thanks Chuck, and of course Sherry too! I feel tired but my batteries are recharged!!
Matthew Gorski
Belmont Shore, CA