Ok, I'm a dork, but over the Christmas holidays, its a tradition--I get out all my cycling magazines from the 1980s and look at them again. My memory is always refreshed at how kickass Midwestern cycling was back then--really, many of the best riders in the nation.
But damnit I forgot that Chris Petty fricking WON the Spenco 500 on a 200 mile solo breakaway in 1988. This was the year after he was kicking all our asses in the junior races across the Midwest. Damn that kid had talent. Ferocious, scary talent. He had this distinctive riding style, really low on the hoods and smooth. Incredibly powerful, though.
The Spenco 500 was a huge money ultra distance/long road race hybrid that was held down in Texas every year. It lasted until 1990, I think, and then faded into obscurity like so many of those great races in the 80s like the Coors Classic, Tour of Texas, etc.
DORK!!
ReplyDeletePetty was a monster. He seemed to win everything he entered. I don't know what happened with all that talent.
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