I feel the sameway now, one more, maybe two (senior year) would have been great, but 'then' it didn't seem like such a good idea. The sport changed after that 83 Summer, I can't explain it, but it just did. I now see how waaaaaaaay to serious I took it and it wasn't fun anymore. I wanted to the best and that was that. I ruined it for myself really. Shawn, I think your the one who told me bmx was never the same after that Summer-O-83.
The aftermath: When I raced bmx, the first thing I did afer school was run home, get my bike, ride to Rydjor's, go to the track, ride back to Rydjor's-hangout. After I quit, I just went home....homework, play some drums, etc. It was hard the first few months getting off that routine. I must have spent a year total at that bike shop. Poor Pat and Dan, they must have been so happy to hear that I quit.... LMAO!

Wow! Shakopee Indoor BMX.

Like Shawn Sheely's memoir, there was a turning point and and ending to The Butterfield. For me it was a swift, painful and a total suprise. My head was in the game, my body never better.

The Shakopee Indoor BMX track was a true blessing. Dirt in the winter. Amazing! The track was not great for me. Short first straight and very little pedaling available so you really had to torque the crap out of your gear to get the lead. And look at the first corner... I mean really. Shawn and I could get both wheels adrift through that corner and while the tires were still gently sliding on the dirt, I could start pedaling my 40x16 with 185mm Profiles just as my rear wheel hooked up.

I crashed many times practicing this so don't think I could just DO IT! Hence I am not wearing my RBP jersey. SHE IS RUINED! Shawn could just do it. I needed some practice. Sheely was deadly in a corner. I could have three bikes on the guy and he somehow passes me in the corner. I learned to counter this and clearly it helped me race better. Either way, look at that lead coming out of turn #1! Thats Sheely #3, Ashford next to him swinging wide (likely a nudge by Shawn just before this shot) the Carlson #27 and dig this, Big Bill Nelson behind Sheely. Behind him is maybe Ayers #72 and a couple other guys I cannot make out. #37 has some style though.

Sheely passed me in turn two of this race. I don't know how. I think it was the old high low bit.

I did pass him back. So there Sheely.

It looks like I am still on that Raleigh here. With Graphites! The fastest wheels ever. Well, in corners they were great. You could load up the outside edge and snap it when the flex returned to you. These wheels were very flexy. If you squared off a corner, like we had to do so often BITD, these wheels would flex deep in the corner and snap back just as you powered out of the corner. Awesome memories of the Graphite Wheel. I used them the entire time I was a Pro.

Shakopee in fact was my first Pro race. Nick Kragnes and I had become quite close and he was the person who realized that I had changed and he encouraged me to continue. There was nothing for me in 17X. He said I had become a totally different racer. Faster, smoother. Which is true. I was nearing 18 years old. Coming into the Man body where strength, power and agility really start to become one. I reckon by age 20, I would have been absolutely peaking in the AA Pro Class.

And you know, in a parallel Universe, that happened. I became Gary Ellis and Gary Ellis never had the career he had.

In this Universe, time and space, My ending was about 9 months later.

I turned 18 years old February 28th 1984. I was a Pro and was picked up by a real factory team for the first time. The first real sponsor I ever had where my job was to race. I got race bikes and we traveled to Pro races all over the Midwest from March-Aug 1984. I won my first Pro race in Memphis that April. It was also my first Pro race outside Minnesota, Iowa or Wisconsin (Todd Blazer was the man in WI).

I continued to win Pro races. I raced all my hero's from BMXA. Greg Hill, Paulson, King, Medlin, Channidy, Bracken, Ellis, Long carrotstick. All of them. It was great. Especially fun racing Tim Judge. The Judge and wicked on a bike. A faster better jumping version of Sheely as The Judge was a tactical passer as well and very astute on a bike.

The team was working closely with the Legendary Cecil Behringer. Now long passed away, Mr. Behringer was a six-day racer, velodrome designer & builder, frame maker and bicycle renaissance man! Cecil was building a new bike with a Euro BB, longer TT, shorter crank arms (which I run today-FASTER!). We were using exotic steel from Reynolds (531 and 653-radical to BMX, not to road or track)

Long story short (as if) by late summer I was on the greatest bike ever, the best wheels ever (graphites) winning or nearly winning every place I went and I just came off a double double weekend where I made $2,400 for the weekend. A record I still have not been able to beat even in car sales. It was fantastic.

Mid week next, somewhere in Ohio on the way to Kentucky for a big NBL National, my sponsor drops the bomb. The company is bankrupt. Everything is ruined. Here is a Greyhound ticket home.

Where is my money? All the checks you put in the lock box?

Those checks kept us going this far Butterfield.

I turned down no less than 3 real factory rides that summer. Not by GT, Redline or Diamond Back or like that. I would NOT have turned that down. Maybe that was coming. Maybe not.

I was really bummed. Came home. Sat on my butt for a couple weeks. Put together a bike, Maybe that Raleigh, I don't remember (the Team bike, and the wheels, were lost to the factory team bankruptsy) I went out to Maple Plain where I made a total [please review the site FAQs] of myself with local authorities, broke my bike in mid race, received my second concussion from BMX racing and did not race again until winter 1997.

13 Years later.

I raced a couple times in 1998 for fun.

It has now been over 10 years since I raced a BMX bike.

So I will be out there in 2011. Just to be consistent. I start training....

NOW!

P.S. I barley noticed. I am wearing Adidas Ivan Lendl Tennis Shoes in these shots. NOT VANS!

I thought I always wore Vans. See, the memory tricks you.

I always wore vans too, and one day I forgot them and raced with my then Nike's (street tennie's) and never wore vans again. I don't remember what race it was, but my gates wearing those shoes was like "holy crap", its as if I felt connected to the pedals like i never felt before. Wearing Vans, sure made a statement though. They were neat and innovative. I could feel the pedal studs on my feet wearing vans on a hot day.

Interesting story Butter. So have we resorted to hearing everyones qutting story???

I always wore Hushpuppies !

Brad that is Waterloo with Sandy in it. Turn 3...Must have been 83' because they never had tht jump in it...

Thanks hero Jeff.

Everyone Jeff Manning is in the building.....

Hello Manning.

I think I last saw you in 97'

Or a couple years ago at one of the get together's ya'll had up at yonder barn.

Don't member'.

Raced you once I think.

Are you racing again Manning? i thought you did a couple times in 97'.

Could be wrong.

A_POLD. Is that you in the corner shot at SVBMX?

#37 all stylin'?

Hi there Butterfield,

I raced in 96' 97' 98'

I raced alot in 96' 97' I even hit about 3 or 4 nationals

Rob, we raced a Redline cup weekend and the first day we both did like crap, but on sunday we went 1 and 2. I still have the paper...........

Hi, Brad..

I think that is Hammer Carson in the middle picture #37..Looks like his style.....

You still got the MAMMOTH legs on you Rob?

Butter, no its not me. I quit long before those days. I would have been #9 for the 84 season but since Manning wasn't racing, I wasn't going to either. Oh, hi Jeff!

Big Legs?

Was that a rhetorical question?

2003 and 2004 were pretty maxed out. The gears we run on the Velodrome are ginourmous in comparison to BMX. Consider at roughly the same RPM (155-175) a 20" BMX bike geared 42x16 (52") would have a max speed of around 26-28MPH. Briefly.

The track 700c wheel and 49x14 (94") at the same RPM would be about 43-45MPH.

You need more leg to push those gears that fast.

My legs??? I am sure have withered. I have not done a thing since 2004. My pants fit a bit different and my behind seems almost normal. So to answer your question:

No, they are gone. Maybe for good. It would be pointless and likely dangerous at my age to consider doing that many Squats again. There is no other way to get legs like that. You cant do it turning a pedal. So, I have plenty of images. Memories are easier to keep now.

Manning:

Rob, we raced a Redline cup weekend and the first day we both did like crap, but on sunday we went 1 and 2. I still have the paper..

WHAT PAPER DO YOU SPEAK? ANY IMAGES?

Yes, I remember now. That was my first race of 1998'. At the Barn. I only did one other BMX race out at St. Michael in Summer 1998'

First part of that weekend sucked. Think I crashed out or I just sucked. Perhaps I was the suckiest sucker that ever sucked a sucker. Hard to remember the bad times.

But the good times... Sunday I do recall being chased all day long. I was worried about your start and not wanting to be next to you. You wiggle a lot. And I thought we could get tangled. I actually don't recall any specifics about the race. I got a good enough start and I still have the trophy. Well, most of the trophy as the plastic BMX guy with the off center stem became a Toy at some point but that is easy enough to replace right?

Manning, did you race Land O Lakes in 1997' 30-34 age group?

This image shows the legs. Look at the two guys I had to beat to win in 2004. THERE LEGS WERE HUGE! 56 guys entered the Sprint Tournament. Some were bigger than these guys. But these guys were the fastest in 2004. I am the white guy with Camel Toe. It was a long day in lycra. There was significant Shrinkage. Troy, be nice.

Hey Mr Batterfeeler-post that promo shot of you and the 2 other guys posing in your Saturn duds. just do it.

Young man, the deed is done.

You will note a bandage on my right calf. My right thigh is also wrapped from the bottom of my shorts all the way up. My right arm likewise wrapped. The right side of my body, upper back, low back and buttock are also bandaged.

This was my last track race. The painful memory SEARED into my brain.

The single most painful week of my life.

Worse than road rash.

Clearly I had a crash.

The crash happened at 40+ MPH on the first day of competition.

I used the right side of my body, mostly the fleshy skin like stuff we all have, well I used it to slow down. Like a brake. And just like brake pads, some skin was left behind on the Textured Wood velodrome.

The medics treated my injuries like burns.

5 days before this image was snapped.

I do not think I slept that week.

This image was the last day of a week long Elite National Track Championships in Frisco, Texas late Summer 2004.

I raced the whole week like this. IN AGONY!

Good Times

I was thinking of a diffeent photo-used to be on a webpage of yours-looked a team Saturn photo I think. If I remember right..your legs(all 3 of you) were even bigger in that Promo Saturn shot. Hard to believe really.

RobaButterFeller, I haven't seen you in a while, which one of the 3 is you?

Ripe for the picking, but - ButterFluffer? All three - legs? What are you talking about Sean?

And who got him talking about his legs, he hates talking about his legs ... Just don't get Rob and Troy talking about it, or somebody is going to hurt themselves flexing .. oh, yea - Troy's just lurking - he can't say anything.



He's the one with the big legs.

And I thought this was a group shot of Marv, Troy and Butter

This thread gives me great joy, but also a little depression because I cannot remember a fraction of the details that you guys can.

I can remember Butterysperm's legs, but not his Pro career. Rob, what factory team pulled the rug on you?

I can remember break dancing on cardboard at G&M, but not Walton lip-syncing to Loverboy.

I can remember Mark's sweet Toyota, but the memory never includes dirt on it. Also, the memory version has it jacked up about 10 feet taller than the pic suggests.

I can remember the dread of racing at Eden Prairie when there was a strong headwind.

I cannot remember which Iowa track from that shot of me in Hutch gear. But I do remember having a crush on local Iowa racer...Tammy....can't remember her last name.

That one made me spit up coffee

But I was wondering the same thing about the Behrenger bikes ... who was behind it, what was the design of the bike you rode Rob? Who else was riding on those bikes?

I remember meeting with Cecil on two occasions in 1984 at his factory just down the street from G&M Raceways in Shakopee, I consulted on the design - but my recollection was of a weird bike with a 20x1.75 front wheel and a 20x 1 3/8 rear. The frames were beautiful (Cecil was a master) but the design was too far along for my advice of ditching the weird rear wheel to be heeded.

Anyone else feel this choice wording on a food package is a bit disgusting?

Feel like I now have to look for hair in my salad before I eat it.

Maybe try this one instead...

! Much better!

well john, a quick scan of the july 83 points says talbott or truity.
only 2 tammy's listed

Like Sheely the year before, 1984 was my year on the road. I did little to no local racing.

In 1984, most of you guys were done. It was sad. I had no one to race in Minnesota.

By 1986, when I moved back out to California to resume my BMX career after 18 months off, I landed in a void.

No tracks.

NO BMX!

DEAD as Dead can get.

I did not ride again until 1992 when Burger started me road racing at the age of 26.

Thanks Steve.

The Behringer bike never really materialized. Cecil built my frame as a copy of the Patterson geometry (Built with 531 tubing and custom lugs to deal with the extreme top tube angle of a BMX frame). I requested it to built with with a 21.75 Top tube and euro BB. And Butterbars of course. Cecil had created an un-ridable bike otherwise. Built like a track bike with the saddle 81cm from the center of the BB. That measurement of 81cm center BB to top of saddle is based off .883 of your inseam, which I use today, for my road and track bike, but it simply makes BMX impossible. Cecil was convinced it would be faster, once at speed, to sit and spin. AS you know, this is not how BMX works. Cecil was right, it was faster top speed on asphalt by 3 MPH.

My Max speed in a 42x16, regular BMX 20" bike (radar tested) was 31.5MPH (190 RPM) where I hit nearly 35MPH (220 RPM) seated in the same gear and shorter cranks. That would be great but we have jumps berms and people racing against us. So it did not work.

It all fell apart behind the scenes. I was not privy to what really happened. Geoge Dakis had set it all up and I designed yet another uniform, paint scheme for the bikes and all. I was pretty stoked since I was the main guy and I had control over the design for everything. Not of it came to be.

The odd size wheels worked well on the velodrome, at least I was told so, although it is now illegal to use wheels of different sizes. I refused to ride that particular bike. Cecil I think did not think to much of me. I was 18 and I knew it all and had little real respect for what he was doing or who he was. It would have helped to have a transitionary period at this point as I could easily have migrated to Track Sprinting in 1984 rather than 1992 when I started up again.

By 1992, I recognized who and what Cecil really was and add a check on the regret box from youth.

Lot's of regrets in there I assure you.

The great real ending to my BMX career:

1984 was graduation. I had no plans for college or military service.

My mother moved into a Tee Pee in Northern California. I had no where to live.

I moved downtown Mpls with Bill Nelson fall of 1984. Destroyed all but one of my trophies, moved to uptown Spring of 85' with Bill, that blew up big time, then lived briefly with Troy in Uptown and then Burger then, late in 1985 I moved to Miami, Florida briefly with some girl and finally California where I bought my first guitar and my first car on my 20th birthday.

1985 was a lost year. I lost all my bikes, trophies and friends.

Should have had a plan.

Memories are fuzzy from then on. I was playing music and doing all the drugs I could find. Well, little drugs like booze and pot. Nothing severe. And actually not much booze. Since I was clean and drug free all my life up to that point, I thought I would try a few things. See what it was about.

Curly blonde hair??? Wasn't she on Karcity Big Wheels (red and yellow uni's). I've got video of you chasing her in the pits at Waterloo.. should I destroy it?

I'm guilty though. She had a friend with long brown hair who also raced. Kinda of a cute puppy luv sort of thang... I was girl shy at 15. You'd think after 2 years of watching Troy I would have learned something... Sorry Troy

Mark, isn't suppose to me "hormel" brand???? Your a trader

Milland

The images you speak of are the property of Saturn and I have no rights to them. When GM shuts Saturn down I should be able to use them again. One of several reasons I shut down my site. The main reason I shut down my site: some American beat my 250 Meter Sprint record at the Olympics this year. My American record for the 250 stood up for 5 years. And the guys who beat it, beat it on a faster track, indoors and peaking at the Olympics. He beat my record by 0.089 seconds. Less than a tenth of a second. But that is enough and still .6 tenths from the world record.

That world record is held by BMX Pro Jamie Staff of Britain and he re-broke his own record at the Olympics this summer. Amazing how fast he is in every event. And he is huge.

I got to train with him in Colorado Springs, Stumpy, The Jackyl, Terry Tennete, Greg Romero, Jason Richardson, Warwich, Bubba Hayes, Darren Mttchel, Craig Reynolds, Dale Holmes, Eric Rupe and some other legends I forgot about.

It was a blast. Three weeks at the OTC (Olympic Training Center). Apolo Ohno was also on hand and Terry Tennete, Ohno, Mitchel, Reynolds and myself pretty much laughed the entire time. Tennete is a very very very funny guy. RATED X man. And Mitchil, nasty naughty guy. But very funny.

George Dakus ran G&M Raceway - one of the shadiest characters ever on the MN BMX scene. He moved to IL?, opened another track - and from what I heard - ended up going to prison for fraud. He owed people big money down there, never paid anyone from what I heard.

I should feel lucky that he only shafted me for $500 ('83 dollars) - I heard he was in the tens-of-thousands of $$ in IL. Mike Vangen was working for me, but riding for George - George had Mike bring an order of bike parts to him before a big race they were going to - I told Mike COD only, but... what was Mike going to do when George said "I'll write a check when we get back in town" .. I ended up having to sue him in court, I got a judgment - but no satisfaction.

George always said he wasn't going to pay me for the parts because his daughter's sew-up tire rolled off her rim causing her to break an arm - I felt bad, but you have to re-glue the tires every so often. He seemed to think it was a one-time deal. I always had a bad feeling about that guy, and I was always careful in my transactions with him - but he got me.

George's debt combined with some big employee theft, an East coast creditcard scam that cost me over $8K one summer (again, '83 dollars - Visa didn't cover losses to scams back then), and the death of racing - all contributed to me closing the doors on Sheely's Wheels in '86.

I still have the bad check he wrote me before he slipped out of town.

Leave it to the boys from Austin to chase women that need to wax their breasts. Must have played with too many farm animals.

For those who may not have heard yet - I've been asked by the City of Maple Plain to design a new BMX facility (two actually) - so I've been working on the layouts for the last couple of days - thought I would link them up here for anyone who is interested in getting involved with the project.

My hope is that they will use a contractor to build - and citizen help to do the fine tuning. Plans are for two facilities, on on each side of town (the old track was taken down to build a water treatment plant).

As of now, I'm working on the first one - north side of Hwy 12 by the water tower, the other will go in Rainbow park on the south side.

The first one features a double-U hip-jump track and a fairly long pump track.

There will be a meeting with the Park Board this coming Monday at 7:00 if you'd like to come and show your support.

Here's a pdf if you're interested in taking a look : http://www.5gdm.net/bmx/mpbmx/mpbmx_v1.pdf

Screen shots :

That is great news Shawn, I am impressed that the city saw the value of place for the kids to hang out and have fun. The city obviously knew that the old track got a fair amount of visits from locals and others. Brad Apold and I went to the old track coincendently the evening before the dirt started to fly. We took our daughters and had a great evening playing around on the weathered track. I am going to try and make it to the Monday meeting if I can swing it, I would definetly be interested in helping out. Here are some pics from the funeral night for the old Maple Plain track.


Maddi, Hannah & Emma

George was bad news. It always bemused me to see a man so motivated. Such a hard worker. So willing to put it all out there. And yet, not pay a single bill. The motor home we were in in Ohio was repo'd right then and there. I still have my Greyhound ticket from Springfield, Ohio.

Oh if I only knew Homer Simpson lived in Springfield OH. We could have partied. I could have stolen Marge from him like I did to Nate back in the day. Sorry Nathan. But Marge is hot.

I did not know George screwed Sheely over so badly. I only knew him as the guy. He supported me and was very encouraging. I do believe he pushed Vangen into his best year. Yes, I swear, Vangen was fast in 1984.

Not Butter fast mind you.

Anyway, many more people were burned. For me it was $4K or so. Which think about it, this was 1984.

If I had that money, I don't move in with Bill Nelson and again, the alternate universe theory comes together as membranes collide. I have a totally different life.

Awesome, glad someone was there to see it off - second generation at that. The pics are great, Almost brings a tear to my eye to know that was the last day.

The City is really behind this, the resistance will come from the softball proponents on the Park Board - but I think they'll come around, but I've heard some unsubstantiated claims coming from a couple of the board members already. Still, it's not a large resistance - more like we're an annoyance, and eyesore. We'll get past it though. That track was way more popular than people want to admit.

Hope to see you there Paul.

But would you ... would you really Rob?

Cool Shawn, that could be nice track. That last night we were out there was sad and disappointing to say the least. I tried to ride it fast and was almost bucked off the 24" repeatedly... I couldn't ride it. It was nothing more than a place to jump, not a place to practice bmx.

So are you making the track more NS standards??

Shawn,
Is that going to be a BMX racing track or just a riding track? That would awesome to have. I wish I lived closer, i'd be into that big time... Nothing better than just riding, jumping, practicing and hanging out.. We need something like that here.. Our city wouldn't take the time for that..

Cool. Glad you were there, 20 years or so that place lasted. Maple Plain has been good to me.

Yep, the new track is totally New School. It's basically what the old track evolved into. I took the gate down many years ago - it was rotting and there was no reason to build another. After that I rebuilt the jumps, or built them back up - and the kids just found their own sort of pump tracks and lines, some kids were carving hips into the start hill - the city was cool about it and just let things evolve.

Anyway, tracks are for racing. Jumps and bumps are more fun.

One nice thing about the new location is the shelter - it's 50' x 30', has some grills and tables, and we have our own parking lot. This is going to be a really nice park - but as before, it's going to take some dedicated people to get it off the ground. Tuning and building it right the first time are key.

The clay (soil) around Maple Plain is about as good as it gets, very little sand - and it packs like cement. Once that new park is tuned, you pack, water, and ride the heck out of it - and it will last like it has EnviroTack on it.

My commitment to the project is pretty limited, I've agreed to get it through approval with the Park Board by creating a design and estimating materials. Beyond that, I'm out for the most part. The ideal situation is for a small parent group to form to work with the city on guiding the design, directing contractors, making the first big push to polish by hand, and to help the city with ongoing maintenance.

One of the Park Board members will likely be one of those parents, and there are many more in Maple Plain, Long Lake, Delano, etc. who would be right there too. For now, it's about keeping the ball rolling and the rest will fall into place.

Another resource may be the MN Freeride Group - they're the ones who rebuilt and tune the Eagan Dirt Park. Some of those guys must live out West. Having someone with experience on the finer details of working a square shovel properly is key.

The meeting is at 7:00 on Monday at Maple Plain City Hall. It's pretty informal, everyone knows everyone kind of thing. "Outsiders" showing up is huge, so spread the word - just showing up will go a long way with the Park Board.

If that place is built, there will be more of this.. I this is what I live for...

I have it on my calendar.

Apold, can you get a hall pass to show up for this (?)

I can drive and if your good we'll stop for ice cream.

Shawn wrote about what could have been.

But would you ... would you really Rob?

Anything can trigger an alternate reality. Say I got the money, or took up an offer for a ride.

Things would have been different.

Better, Worse? Who knows, but different.

Maybe I did not destroy your car a couple times. Perhaps that bottle never left my hand.

The track sounds great. I was out at some lake out there with the kids this summer and drove right by the old site. I felt a bit of sadness. The track was gone. Why would it be there? I told my kids it was as we drove out. Even brought my youngest kid's bike to tool around.

It would be great if it really happens. And you know, and you know well Sheely, the old track...

Not so great. Better than Lake Elmo though. Still one of the weirdest tracks I ever raced on.

Good luck. I will be coming out in 2011.

I may have Monday open to shoot down and hitch a ride with Dinkler, if I don't head back to shaved porktown.

Of course that is, if you want me along.... ):

I get shotgun if Brad goes, and he can't sit on my lap.

PLUS it would have to be a waffle bowl on the way home. Are they out of season?

Sorry Rob, nothing meant by that, I agree with you completely (even about MP being a lame track).

I thought you may recognize one of your own famous phrases - that's why it was italicized - do I need to use it context ... do I really?. But the internets don't always convey the right intonation.

I always appreciated your brilliant, but twisted sense of humor .. really.

I am still stunned at how awesome it is that this group just keep on reuniting and getting bigger and better. You guys kick Ashtabula!



...That said. Back to business.





I hope he appreciates mine... Or I'm about to get deaded and kilt. lmao...



I just have 3 things to comment on.

First;







THAT's a crowd pleaser!!!





Second;
















Schmoke and a Pancake?








And third;







Don't quit training for fear of injury Bobby, there are still a lot of possibilities for those thighs yet. ...Provided you kept your uniform anyway.





I don't care what Shawn says about you, You still rock Bob....!

Where's the picnic table?


Yes, Pauli I could get a hall pass....smarrt allek!

Actually, I thought about barn'n out a bit Friday if the stars aline.

Ted

Funny stuff home skillet.

Nice to have you in my corner.

But are you? Are you really?

Wheels, how dare you apologize to me. I got it right away. But did I? Did I really?

MP was odd. For sure. Truth is, I did not like Richfield, BP old or new or Eden Prarie. Why even build a berm guys. We never used them. I did not like Shorewood at all. Not really sure why. I always felt slow on that track.

So MP did not set the bar to low. The bar was just down there.

Southern MN had it's share of lame tracks. In fact all of them were lame to my recollection.

I liked all indoor racing we used to do. That was always fun.

Thank god the new tracks are so good. Nice to ride a berm like a berm.

Berm.

They made the new tracks this way so you don't really have a choice but to ride them. IN my older state I can think of a couple tracks I don't like, but its only because of my own fears/abilities. The kids don't have a problem on them.....just me.

I can't think of one track I disliked, but I most remembe the tracks I loved to race on and most were in Northern Iowa (locally). I was there to race not pick things apart, maybe that's how you ended up running around in a circle because it was more like the Rondo Classic.

Brad

You may be right. I liked a long first straight. Rockford was like this and many of the NBL National courses suited me well. We all adjusted and made due. Maple Plain got me down. It was uphill and Sheely could not be beat there. Which, as you can imagine, made it even less fun. He could pass you at any point on that course.

Indoor concrete, oddly, seemed natural to me and easy. I always felt fast indoors and again you are correct B-APOLD, it may have lead me to the Velodrome racing. That was Berger mostly. Then Berger dropped out in 1993 just when I got hooked.

Anyway this is all good fun and a nice distraction from Cancer which my life has been rocked with the past couple years. It took me back to the Timmy Judge images and seriously, it was like my eyes were 14 years old again. Amazing feeling and a rich tapestry of memories.

Troy really should pipe in or at least send a PM. What up Troy?

Tell Marv it is go time...

I'm with Rob, indoors always felt fast. Almost zero loss of speed, except at the Rondo when you crash on the first jump leading the 14 expert main and break your collarbone.

BTW, I'm impressed that Rob uses not his current name, but the name we all know him by (Butterfield), as his handle here.

Are you referring to yourself and cancer, Rob?

Butter, cancer?? you? our little Butterbuddy?

Rob? You?

Sorry, I should clarify.I will use an Oingo Boingo song "nothing bad ever happens to me".

Despite it all, I am perfectly healthy.

My mother has been in Chemotherapy for Lung Cancer. She was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer in February 2008. The doctors give her 6 mo - 2 yrs. It has been tough.

My wife was worse. She was hanging on like grim death.

Her diagnosis and the subsequent treatment were not only brutal but life changing for all of us. As she nearly died this summer. The only way out was to remove her ENTIRE COLON.

yes, all 7 feet of it. GONE. Wife 12 lbs lighter.

The Ostomy was performed in October this year. If you have been through it, you will know. It is really an experience I would rather not have to live through again. Perspective changes. Everything changes.

From about May to just last week, I have been in total charge of the house and kids. Work, dishes, laundry, tubbies, homework, and all school activities. My 10 year old is Autistic and requires more than average attention. FOR EVERYTHING!

It has been the single hardest year of my long life. And now we have to add a leap second to 2008.

F-that, I do not want to spend another second in 2008.

Leap second... come on now.

Overall, right now, things look good. My wife is more or less cured. My mother just returned from California where she spent Thanksgiving with my family and is in good spirits for a bald woman.

The Butter is in good health. Not fit at all. Sort of Flabby. But hey, no Cancer here.