Thanks To Mike All-
Lots of warm welcomes, and definitely lots of knowledge out there. I keep hearing about nice times some of you have had, and will have at the cirque, and some times cold frosty adult beverages are mentioned. Perhaps this will amuse some of you. My adventures in cycling started at the Jersey Shore with some friends telling me in 1974 that I had to borrow a bike and come to the Beer Bike Race Marathon. A 14 mile 9 bar adventure with about 300 people, including lots of wild and crazy women.You started at the first bar had a beer, got on your bike rode to the next bar got off, went in had another beer, signed your name to prove you were there, and so on till you covered all nine bars and 14 miles. Three of these friends had all bought beautiful lt. blue Falcon bicycles that cost then about four hundred bucks, and road several times a week. Not having been on a bike since I was around 12 the party sounded tooooo good to miss. I knew the nine beers would be a breeze but wasn't so sure about riding 14 miles. So I borrowed my brothers Sears Free Spirit, equipped with baby carrier and off to the beer race we went. On the way in the van the free spirit got a face lift.Off came the baby carrier, and fenders. Put a little extra air in the tires and she was race ready. Some people had to make a race out of this event while others would ride to one bar and sit for a while have a few, play some pool, and so on till they got to the last bar. Sometimes 10 or 12 hours later. I got caught up in the race part of it and suddenly after the seventh bar me and another guy were pretty much a good distance in front of the rest of the other cyclists. He had won the race the last two years and also had a nice bike and cycling shoes. He managed to stay about a half mile ahead of me but I finished second. the time was about a hour. My friends with the Falcons came in just behind and couldn't believe I was already there. Time gained in the bar was my secret. Chugging a nine ounce draft was a piece of cake for me. Any how I had so much fun chasing this guy on his bike I went out the next day and bought a used Bottecchia for two hundred dollars with mostly Campy parts except brakes. They were purchased two weeks later.(These parts are now on my Presto and still work and look great)..Rode quite a bit the next year and returned to the beer race and won it, Me and one of my friends with the Falcon decided that winter we were going to Florida for six weeks and become bike racers. He bought a Masi Gran Criterium, and I had Jim Redcay built me a bike and off we went. (Five of the bikes I have in my collection I am the original owner.) Well 33 years and thirteen bikes later I find this site where there is a whole world of vintage bikes and people who love and collect and ride them, and more knowledge than I could have imagined.
Thanks to you all
Ed Busch Vonore, Tennessee, USA
----- Original Message ----- From: <airart5@netzero.net> To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org> Sent: Tuesday, May 29, 2007 2:23 PM Subject: [CR]Re: New member Introduction
> Hi Mike,
>
> Great to have you as member of the CR list - a place with a great bunch
> of guys who have collectively awesome bike knowledge!
>
>
> Mike Short,
> Austin TX.