Some great memories ...

A few weeks ago as I moves boxes and bins and racks to make way for some plumbing I needed to do, I came across a sealed plastic clothing thingamabob (God bless my wife) within which were a number of old jerseys and shirts. Thankfully they were washed before "preservation" and a few packets of dessicant placed in the container before zipping it closed.

Probably of little interest to most but the stuff of great memories for me:

While riding home from a training ride, I was hit by a car on Varrick in lower Manhatten and broke both wrists just a month before the Worlds. I couldn't race but went anyway and like many spectators, got a shirt and had it signed by the Big Boys and Girls

The other jerseys are various iterations of my team - Team Brooklyn.

We started with Giordana Brooklyn jersey and added the sponsors as they accumulated.

With all of the iron-ons beginning to clutter things up, this evolved - many sponsors required something original.

What follows is seen below.

Luis Trevino (our Team Manager and Captain) and Charlie Litsky made our dreams come true and acquired sponsors beyond our imagination.

As I was and am a Merlin fan, I had to have the official Merlin jersey and shorts as well as the Team Subaru Montgomery (who rode Merlin back then).

So there you have it - a few items from that bin. Other stuff within but these were the most interesting to me.

Just dug this one up - the Fat Chance and Merlin boys and gals will recognize it immediately.

It too has a great story (at least it was a great story and lesson for me)

I came in 3rd in this race - and did so well because I had NO BRAKES! and I could not see thing. :shock:

It was an absolutely miserable day - in the low 40s and raining. There was still snow on the ground in a few spots and it was melting fast. The course was one of the most muddy I've raced. The combination of snow melt, rain, sticky-sandy mud and fast technical downhills rapidly wore my brake pads to nubs. :shock:

I couldn't see because that glop stuck to my glasses like glue.

That race taught me to never drag or feather my brakes under those conditions if I want to have any by race end.

Here is the shirt I got before heading to Winthrop, MA to visit family and then coming back to see the gang at Merlin.

Love the Merlin kit