*DESERT CAMP '06* Tales from the Prickly Pear Paceline

The McFadden's head toward Mule Pass on their Traveler XL. People who play together, stay together ...

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"MY WIFE asked me what I wanted for Christmas. I said, do you really want to know?"

While the marriage-preserving answer is probably "you dear", Ron 'Speedy Gonzalez' Neher somehow got away with muttering 'a Capreo 9 tooth cassette' through a mouthful of Gatorade and masticated Clif Bar without having his cycling clothes, GPS and Pocket Rocket Pro thrown out on the front lawn.

It gets funnier. Ron, who nailed the hammerheads at the 2005 Desert Camp, 'neglected' to replace his giant 62 tooth chainring with something smaller (as one does when switching to this cassette). Meaning, he regularly blows the doors off his big-wheel buddies at 50 mph ... if bikes had doors.

L to R: Jim Langley, Peter Kaspar, Fred Matheny and Ron Neher - 'Team Hammerhead'. Check out Ron's 9 tooth cog + 62 tooth chainring ... is that man insane?

A little wheel tradition in the making. The third annual Bike Friday/PACTOUR Arizona Desert Camp has attracted several returnees including enthusiastic folks from Canada, the East Coast, and even a handful of big-wheel bikes like a Moots, a LiteSpeed, and a carbon fiber Orbea, all escaping the winter freeze. What better thing to do on a Friday than ride through momentous volcano, cliff and Saguaro cactus country under the crisp Arizona winter sun?

Again, the week was chaperoned by PACTOUR chiefs and RAAM Champs Lon Haldeman and Susan Notorangelo, Fred Matheny of www.RoadBikeRider.com and Jim Langley.

These cycling pros flew their faithful Fridays south to ride beside us, tell us how to fix a flat in barely four minutes flat, how to eat right (chow down as soon as you've finished a hard ride to replace glycogen levels), how to descend on little wheels (relax and go easy on the brakes) and other Giro de Gems on two small wheels (see Fred's Tips 101 below).

Bob Scheulen mimics the Tombstone 'Lady Godiva" - see Photo Gallery.

This year attracted a slightly smaller, more intimate group of riders. The aim of Desert Camp is to build strength and efficiency by riding a little longer and a little faster than you would ordinarily do, in a completely supportive environment. At the very least it's an all-out social blast against a backdrop of cacti, scorched gravel, some long and unwinding roads and spectacular vistas. This year, I noticed how much more I enjoyed the camp right from Day 0 - the familiarity of revisiting spots I blew by last year, the warmth of reuniting with old friends and their Fridays, and soaking up the Arizona ambience rather than cold rain.

Oh goodie ...This year's generous goodie bag included a PACTOUR jersey, a sartorial embroidered travel shirt, a plethora of Hammer nutrition samples, the usual excellent laminated route sheets, and the choice of a book from PACTOUR's store. I pounced on the last copy of a svelte coffee table book about the bicycle, but after realizing I'd have to buy a coffee table, opted for 'Dancing on the Pedals - the Found Poetry of Phil Liggett, The Voice of Cycling'. Phil's poetry appears to be his million dollar commentary with judicious use of spaces and line breaks. Good one, Phil! Here's a sample:

BOTTOM LINE
The race is no respecter of reputaton.
You're only as good as now.

Liggett of course, owns a Bike Friday.

RAAM champs Lon Haldeman and Susan Notorangelo ride their brand new TwinAir tandem (designed for conquering the next PBP) in Tombstone, AZ.

Desert Museum warm up. It's a good idea to arrive early on Saturday, even stay the night before (the Country Inn and Suites hotel charges $85 a room), to do a 40 mile round trip excursion to the Sonora Desert Museum. The Day 1 movie above shows some impressive attention-seeking moves by the resident otter, and plenty of cactii dotted along the Disneyland like trails. While I respect museums like this, my memories are of crowds of people peering intently into cages with nothing apparent inside save for water trays and artfully placed logs, given that many animals are nocturnal - for $12 a pop. Salt of the earth types might simply like to hike out into the saguaro-studded scenery, sit somewhere and wait for whatever nature wishes to present to you and not a gecko dropping more.

Lon and Susan's new TwinAir. I spotted Lon and Susan's new Twin Air Tandem parked in the PACTOUR bike rack. They had it built to ride the upcoming PBP. I also met RAAM champ Peter Penseyres, who'd spent the past week stokering Lon on the bike. His verdict? "I like it."

On Day 4 I committed a brazen act that almost got me what I deserved: I attempted to attack the Twin Air piloted by Lon and Susan.

What was I thinking?

After zipping out front on my nimble little Pro Petite, I turned to see the fab couple make two (or was it just one?), barely perceptible crank turns, and suddenly they were 100 yards ahead. It took some serious footwork to catch them, way down the road. Moral? Don't attack RAAM champs unless you're one yourself, and as Peter Kaspar said, 'don't attack tandems on a downhill'. I'm looking forward to getting lots of R.E.M. sleep on the back of that TwinAir when I ride Route 66 with Lon, starting mid-April...

Olde favorite places We re-visited the quaint towns of Tombstone and Bisbee, which you can read about in last year's camp report. This year I did the 'water crossing', an optional off-road detour where one can wet one's shoes wet wading one's bike to the opposite embankment. The Sidi 'snobs' smartly removed their $200 spats. I got a piggy back across WITH MY BIKE, total weight 115 lbs. Day 3 video above, and here's a shot courtesy of John Rohland...

Ron shoulders 115 lbs of the Gal and her Friday ... he'd rather than than lay his fancy Assos cycling jacket across the stream - so would I! Photo by John Rohland from a movie clip.

Fridays in France We were treated to some excellent slide shows and movies at the 7pm seminars. TwosDay owners Bob and Kris Thompson showed a DVD movie of 9 Bike Fridays doing France on a Friday, set to great music. John Rohland got the wheels of his Pocket Rocket so close to Lance, Ulrich et al in the Tour de France, you could almost ruffle the champs' nosehairs. Both shows were excellent advertisements for Bike Friday. Bike Friday Torch Meister Peter Kaspar also gave a Hitchhiker's Guide to the Production Line, interspersed by some Zafod-like flights of filosophy (the Calculus of Rumor etc).

The Shady Dell motel trailer park - cute little airstreams ready to elope to!

The cutest little motel you ever saw ... On the route to Bisbee Lon brought the TwinAir to a screeching halt in front of the Shady Dell trailer motel and Dot's Diner, relics from the 60's exhumed in perfect pink-flamingo for pink-flamingo detail. Fortunately, I happened to be the stoker on the back of that TwinAir, otherwise I would have shot by it. I fell in love with the place, a collection of quirky baby trailers including a covetable Airstream, all decked out for a secret tryst. The Diner was womanned by Kirstin, in a fab, sea green diner diva's tunic with cerise trim, serving us real chcocolate malt milkshakes whizzed by one of thise real old stick blenders. I understand the trailers are booked out with elopers two months of romantic weekends in advance, $45 a night. See the Photo Gallery ...

RAAM video treat Lon's special guest, RAAM chief Jim Petrie showed us a new, riveting RAAM documentary which won the top Boulder Film Fest award. I believe you can buy it somewhere on the RAAM website. It features some of the most incredible and quirky characters, including a cerebral dude who appears to be the absolute loser of the whole event, starting most auspiciously when his 'crew' of one sleepy driver smashes his bike under a low clearance roofline, but who Lon and Susan assure me is a PACTOUR veteran, meaning he's an elite and super strong cyclist. In fact, many of the people you see in the video are rabid PACTOUR vets. I'm certainly going to buy a copy - the only thing that marred the video for many of us was the occasionally insightful commentary by an unfit looking, inappropriately cussing journo. Edit that guy out, leave in his better lines and you've got an Academy Award winner.

Dot's Diner at the Shady Dell comes complete with a real live diner diva to whizz up your malted milkshake.

Special guest Maynard. On the final night, cycling journalist and satirist Maynard Hershon and his gal Tamara zipped over to join us at the Country Inn and Suites Hotel. Maynard read his famous piece The Rules, which tells all single men how to hog the helmet mirror of a potential love interest (ride centuries but dim the testosterone).

A camp worth wintering Everyone agreed that this year's Desert Camp was a terrific workout, yet also strangely relaxing - a sure sign you are among like minded friends. Even PACTOUR crew member Shirley said that she and her hubby specifically asked to crew Bike Friday week, as we little wheeled folk are so fun to be around. As the hotel shuttle vandriver told me, "Oh yeah, I can tell the difference between the groups. I listen to the other conversations and it's all 'I ride 120 miles today', 'I rode 130 miles today'. You folks talk about different things - like having fun". Well, why the dickens not?

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I am now in to Austin staying with Bike Friday Club of Austin folks Ron Neher, Leo Anderson and LAB duo Nancy and Fred Meredith. On Sunday I filmed Ron "love me, love my 140-inch gear" Neher, Leo and former BF salesguy Jeff Bryce competing in the King of Jester Hill Climb - a 20% grade for half a mile. Yikes! here's the scoop. Then April 7 I'll pop down to San Antonio to stay with BF owners Eileen and Rui. Stay tuned for more reports from the deep south. Mid-April I'll fly to Santa Monica to ride and make a DVD movie of PACTOUR's Route66 expedition, winding up in Chicago for a month. What's all this gadding about, about? Hasta pronto!

PSSST .... Lon says he's planning a special version of Bike Friday week next year ... slightly kinder distances (53 miles), more scenic, more fun - we'll need at least 30 folks to make it happen. Keep your last week of Feb 2007 free!

Lynette Chiang www.galfromdownunder.com

This is why folks join the fold. That's Lon in the foreground.

Pete Penseyres, RAAM legend, rode PACTOUR Tandem Week with co-legend Lon Haldeman on Lon's new Twin Air tandem.

Peter Kaspar demonstrating the pain and pleasure of the chase. A great self portrait snapped by the man himself. That's Jim Langleyon his wheel.

Lynette Chiang, http://www.galfromdownunder.com

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