Mid-Ohio, the second time around.

So maybe you don't know the lyrics to the Sammy Cahn/Jimmy Van Heusen song THE SECOND TIME AROUND made famous by Francis Albert himself. Read below:

Love is lovelier the second time around
Just as wonderful with both feet on the ground
It's that second time you hear your love song sung
Makes you think perhaps that love, like youth, is wasted on the young

Love's more comfortable the second time you fall
Like a friendly home the second time you call
Who can say what brought us to this miracle we've found?
There are those who'll bet love comes but once, and yet
I'm oh, so glad we met the second time around

Who can say what brought us to this miracle we've found?
There are those who'll bet love comes but once, and yet

I'm oh, so glad we met the second time around

______________________________________________

I'm sure your wondering what this all has to do with a bike race at the Mid-Ohio motor car course. Well, nothing and everything. You see this was team AWOPs second race this year there and World War Z's second race, and my second chance to beat Farmer John (also know known as Lil' Evander Holyfield) in a one up sprint.

The call went out for racers and as I said above WWZ was there along with Chairman Fred, George "a million tiny pieces" Conti, Marilyn Chambers, Brian O!, and Marco Pantani. We met Mighty Scott "Titanium Young" and were supported by Tri-Amy and Beer Meister Keith.

Where were you? We have an nice selection of beers for the supporters and any racer that could beat us on the track. Well, a few that beat Brian might no have been old enough to drink.

Frank said it best, "Makes you think perhaps that love, like youth, is wasted on the young," not Scott Young but young racers. The biggest field here was the Masters race. Even though I raced with Farmer John, my 50+ was being scored separately from his 40+. Ha!

Round and round we go, the spinning wounded. John with half and ear, Fred with a sore back, Conti suffering without his weekly EPO dosage (sorry, micro-dose), and Chambers still jet lagged. Maybe that is why we couldn't hang onto the 2 whippersnappers that made the break. Oh well, at least none of them were in the 50+ race.

You know how this goes - came down to a sprint and I was tucked neatly on the farmhand's right hip. He jumps as he always does, WAY TOO EARLY. I hang on and now ALL I HAVE TO DO IS COME AROUND HIM....ahhhhh, I c-a-n-n-o-t g-a-i-n a-n-y ground. Damn, lost the sprint, but won the 50+ plus race, again...

Well, next race I might use the Sinatra method and have my body guards do a bit of composting on the Farmer's legs before the start....

Best Reads and Listens 2010, so far...

Listening to:

1. Bryan And The Haggards - Pretend It’s The End Of The World (Hot Cup) - Is it a jazz country album or a country jazz record?

2. The Mark Lomax Trio (with Eddie Bayard) - The State Of Black America (Inahyme) Coltrane reborn

3. The Claudia Quintet - Royal Toast (Cuneiform) Brilliance from John Hollenbeck

4. Zorn/Lewis/Frisell - More news For Lulu (Hatology) Remastered from the 1980s - Die Wynton die!

5. Vandermark/Nilssen-Love/Ex Guitars - Lean Left Vol. 1 (Smalltown Jazz) Noise marvelous Noise

6. Bernardo Sassetti Trio - Motion (Clean Feed) Might be my favorite new pianist

7. Mose Allison - The Way Of The World (Anti-) A nearly perfect recording

Reading, no read:

1. The Girl Who Kicked The Honets Nest - Stieg Larsson

2. Nelly’s Version - Eve Figes

3. Cold - Bill Streever

4. The Homecoming Party - Carmine Abate

5. Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter - Seth Grahame-Smith

6. Let The Great World Spin - Colum McCann

7. Beatrice And Virgil - Yann Martel

8. Sunnyside - Glen David Gold

9. Solar - Ian McKewan

10. Bike Snob - Bike Snob NYC

11. Nixonland - Rick Perlstein

What it felt like for 42 miles @ the Bond Road Race in Harrison, Ohio

All I need was a resurrected Howard Cosell screaming into the microphone, "Down goes Frazier, down goes Frazier!" Me playing the role of Philly's own Smokin' Joe Frazier. Congrats to Brian O! and Mr. 4%, regrets to The Godfather, Iowa and boxing fans everywhere...