Friday just gone saw the first of the Winter 08 “Silo Runs” completed.* The Coach, his Apprentice, L-Dub and Jesus met up on the Lawns @ 5pm for a spin thru the Nthn Suburbs. The (ahem) ‘peleton’ threaded it’s way thru the peak hour traffic and out towards Newie Oval Velodrome where it stopped to converse with a few assembled track riders who were having a ‘end of season’ beer (or two). Stopping to rehydrate at such an early point in the ride may have in hindsight been a poor decision.. but.. ah..? ..the Coach thought it was necessary anyway. Traded a few yarns with the crew before collecting two more riders, Bec and Rossi, and spinning off to the Alley Cat Bar in Nth Hobart.. Now this is where is it got interesting.. There is a big hill climb from Risdon Road out of Newie.. A impromptu sprint was thrown down and the lads on the track bikes took the jump early.. Bucks on his gear tri bike some reeled ‘em in but it was Rossi (Cyclone and BnC Team member) who surprised us most. Rossi was on his new Gary Fisher MTB with big dirty 2.3’ tyres and the fit little fkr reeled ‘em ALL in!! Impressive!!! The Alley Cat was reached and.. well, a picture tells a thousand words… I’ll let the piccies tell the story from here…
A quick note: Post Alley Cat, the Apprentice and Rossi were racing down Elizabeth Street when they tagged each other and went down. Ugly. Left the Gary Fisher with a dented top tube and mashed brake lever. Bec, in a isolated incident on Elizabeth Street, had to stop a pay Mr Plod $80 for her alleged ‘colour blindness’.
Anyway, the above happenings are not necessarily BnC endorsed or encouraged but we will be making the ‘Silo Runs’ a regular Friday night happening. Keep ya eyes on the site for more details.
*{The history behind these rides harks back to earliest days of Bottles and Chains.. The original Silo Run was a nameless group ride on a Friday arvo. The organised meeting point was 5pm @ Salamanca Lawns opposite Knopwood’s Retreat (a popular Hobart establishment that draws a huge crowd for knock-off drinks at the end of each working week).. Our plan was to meet and ride out to the Bonnet and back but as the saying goes, “even the best laid plans don’t always go according to plan” …legend has it that the group of assembled cyclists only ever rode as far as the Silo’s (which is at the far end of Salamanca Lawns) and back. Perhaps it was the lure of Knoppies that proved to strong? One theory is that the ride was only ever a ‘front’ for husbands looking for an excuse to go out drinking on a Friday night.. but, regardless of what actually happened, the mythology of the Silo Run was born on that night and the whole ethos of Bottles and Chains is firmly entrenched in these early beginnings.}
