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- Newsgroups: rec.bicycles.racing
- Path: sparky!uunet!stanford.edu!CSD-NewsHost.Stanford.EDU!news
- From: les@sail.stanford.edu (Les Earnest)
- Subject: 1993 racing season underway in NorCal
- Message-ID: <1993Jan3.014405.28090@CSD-NewsHost.Stanford.EDU>
- Sender: news@CSD-NewsHost.Stanford.EDU
- Organization: Computer Science Department, Stanford University
- Date: Sun, 3 Jan 1993 01:44:05 GMT
- Lines: 38
-
- The 1993 racing season got off to a good start in Northern California
- with the umpteenth running of the Mt. San Bruno Hillclimb early January 1.
- It was a drippy morning, but the weather cooperated by throttling back
- to a light mist by race time.
-
- Because of proximity to San Francisco, there were a number of Italian-
- Americans around the starting area and I was initially puzzled by the
- fact that they were all saying "Bonano" to each other -- that is the
- name of a major Mafia family with members in the Bay Area. I finally
- figured out that it is also Italian for "Happy New Year."
-
- Mt. San Bruno is a barren ridge that sits astride the San Francisco
- Peninsula just south of the City and that has been kept in a mostly
- undeveloped state through the efforts of environmentalists. The race
- course is about 6 km. long with about 300 meters of climbing, all on
- pavement. The first 4 km. of the race is gently uphill and the last
- part is a killer!
-
- There were nine racing classes with prizes to three places in each,
- but only 39 riders showed up (apparently because of the preceding
- rain) so nearly everyone won a prize. A massed start of all classes
- was used in recognition of the fact that drafting is of almost no
- value in this race. The first rider finished in just 16 minutes, 14
- seconds, which is moving right along, and the rest straggled in over
- the next 20 minutes.
-
- My chief judge was former Olypian George Mount, who is still in good
- enough shape to have beaten most of the field and would have clobbered
- his masters age group. Instead of indulging himself, however, Smiling
- George chose to help his club put on the race.
-
- While waiting for the stragglers I rediscovered the outstanding
- panoramic view afforded to those who climb Mt. San Bruno -- see my
- article in rec.bicycles.rides, posted with California distribution.
- --
- Les Earnest Phone: 415 941-3984 Fax: 415 941-3934
- Internet: Les@cs.Stanford.edu USMail: 12769 Dianne Drive
- UUCP: . . . decwrl!cs.Stanford.edu!Les Los Altos Hills, CA 94022
-