FIVE QUESTIONS FOR FIVE PROS ( OR HOW GOT MY DRINK ON IN PHILLY)

 

 

Five questions for Five Pros in Philadelphia

 (Or how I got my drink on in Philly!)

 By Eric Faber

 What’s this world coming to when I  can get a press credential?  I guess sometimes all you need to do is ask the right people.

I always wanted to check out the the Philly Pro race (now known as the TD Bank Philadelphia International Championship) and hang out at the (Manayunk) wall.  I ran into Mr. Ostroy in Central Park and asked if he would provide a letter of recommendation to the organizers for a press credential.

To his credit and without hesitation he said yes. Score!!!

I promised Alex I’d write something for the site for his trouble.  Sure enough I got a recommendation on NYVelocity.com letterhead from Mr. Shen to the

organizers vouching for my professional abilities. I was approved. The game was on!!!

 I have been fortunate to travel all over the world over the years and as a native New Yorker, I can’t believe I never visited Philadelphia until now.  Like it? 

LOVED IT!!!

 I splurged and get myself a room at race HQ. (The Sheraton City Center) Upon my first view entering the lobby was a fellini-esque vision of lycra-clad

skinny athletes intermingling with obese fanny pack wearing tourists scratching their heads wondering what they stumbled onto.

Saturday Night:

Cheese Steak (Jim’s on South Street) & then on to see British band “Art Brut” play at a great little venue called Johnny Brenda’s in the  Fishtown district. 

I might have had a couple of beers (Sly Fox Lager) and maybe a shot or two of Jamison. Great show and I met the band!!!

 The race.

 7:30 wake up and my head hurt (just a little). Shower, Coffee and walk to the Start/Finish 10 minutes away wearing my official

press vest and soaking in the power and prestige this garment afforded me.  Fans would walk up to me and ask where the bathrooms were.

About a quarter of a second after the gun goes off a kid named Holloway (who looks like Ronald McDonald’s son but growing an

unfortunate “ginger stache” breaks away.  The men just let him go and pretty much coasted for a while.

In fact they chilled so hard, the women who started 10 minutes later caught the men and officials neutralized them to let ladies go ahead.

 Made sense. Women’s race – 57 miles with 4 climbs up the wall. Men’s race: 156 miles and 10 climbs up.

 I got on one of the sponsored mini coopers and got a lift to the wall where I was overwhelmed with the atmosphere. 

Par-tay Central!!!! Thousands on the street. Beers flowing! The Philly cops didn’t care one bit about the open containers. Awesome!!!

With my official vest and credentials hanging from my neck I became the de-facto go to guy for the latest news.

Before I knew it I was watching the race about ¾ up the hill from the porch of one dude named Brett and his various roommates, friends and their hot girlfriends.

There was also a black guy dressed only in a white toga and Ceasar- like garland around his head.. 

It felt like the movie “Old School” in there. The keg was flowing and the burgers and dogs were grilling in the backyard. Heaven!

 Not being experts on the sport, my excellent hosts thought Ronald McDonald Jr. had this race in the bag. 

I proceeded to explain the physics and the important dynamics of wind resistance until they all  rolled their eyes

and ran away from me to get more beer.

Sure enough  “ginger-stache kid” was stutter stepping hard, rocking and swaying sideways in his final death throws around

the fifth time up Manyunk and the pack about to swallow him. One of the guys tells me:

“Dude, I thought you were really shittin’ us about that guy not winning. Dude you the man!  

Dude, you’re not leaving yet! Stay for another beer?!”

 After my third beer and second hot dog and enough abuse about my shaved legs than any poor wannabe cycling guy can handle,

I stumbled off the porch and shortly “my driver” (John) had the foresight to call and ask me If I had enough and

he was heading to the wall and picking me up.  Thank you John!!! This press credential stuff is the shiznit!!!

Now to the job I was “hired” for and without further ado: Five questions for Five Pros:

 They are:

"Fast" Freddie Rodriguez ((USA) Rock Racing

Manuel Quinziato (ITA) Liquigas

Brian Vandborg (DK)  Liquigas

Kirk O’Bee (USA) Bissell Pro Cycling

Elizabeth Hatch (USA) Vanderkitten Racing

 

 

FREDDIE RODRIGUEZ

Favorite beer and/ or alcoholic beverage?

“Beer, I’ll say Pyramid Heffenwiesen. Alcoholic beverage would be Level Vodka on the rocks”
First moment or race when you said to yourself "I’m so damn sweet I should get paid for this!"

 “Uh, I don’t think ever asked myself that, but I think when I was twelve years old racing in Redlands
Most embarrassing moment on a bike. Projectile expulsion of bodily fluids or solids is  highly encouraged for elaboration.

 “That’s a hard one, I try to blank those things out”

 Me: “Have you ever chucked on the bike?”

Rodriguez:: “Yeah, but I never found that embarrassing. Oh yeah here’s good one, I show up at a local bike race,  didn’t know anyone and I didn’t know

which group I was supposed to be in. There were cat 1’s, cat. 2’s, Masters and so I line up accidentally with the masters  and this guy tells me 

“you’re with those guys up in the front.  I get to the front of the line and my group already left five minutes earlier”

Me: Did you catch up?

Rodriguez: “Yes”      Sex the night before a race?  Hell no or yes please and may I have seconds?

  (Laughing) “Yes please and may I have seconds”

Favorite artist or band you groove to on the IPod while on solo rides?

 “Oh man I got so many, let’s look on the IPod see what I got (pulls out his IPOD) So many,  I got one I like to rock out to “California Love” (2Pac),  

“The Beautiful People”  There’s a good one. Marilyn Manson man!”

MANUEL QUINZIATO

 Favorite beer and/ or alcoholic beverage?

 “Forst Beer, It’s from my area (Italy) It’s 150 years old. It’s a good beer”

First moment or race when you said to yourself "I’m so damn sweet I should get paid for this!"

“When I won the Under 23 World TT Championships in 2001”

Most embarrassing moment on a bike? Projectile expulsion of bodily fluids or solids  is highly encouraged for elaboration

“When I crash during the neutral zone”

Sex the night before a race?  Hell no or yes please and may I have seconds?

 (laughing) “Yeah, that’s it.  Yes please!”

Favorite artist or band you groove to on the IPod while on solo rides?

  “Radiohead”

 

BRIAND VANDBORG

 

Favorite beer and/ or alcoholic beverage?

 (Thinking) “It must be… Duvel”

  First moment or race when you said to yourself "I’m so damn sweet I should get paid for this!

“That’s a good question, I guess my first amateur race, I started late, but I thought I’m pretty good at this”

 Most embarrassing moment on a bike. Projectile expulsion of bodily fluids or solids is highly encouraged for elaboration.

 “Actually where I used to live, the owner’s dog chased me out of the driveway.  I was kind of scared of him and I skidded on the gravel 

and landed on the banana in my pocket  and so that was kind of embarrassing     

 

Sex the night before a race?  Hell no or yes please and may I have seconds?

“Yes please and may I have some more”

Favorite artist or band you groove to on the IPod while on solo rides?

“Incubus”

 

 

KIRK O’BEE

 (Post 3rd Place finish!)

Favorite beer and/ or alcoholic beverage?

“Favorite beer is Westmall Tripel. Belgian Beer. By far my favorite beer. Other than that I make my own red wine, so that would come in a strong second”.

 First moment or race when you said to yourself "I’m so damn sweet I should get paid for this!

 “Oh geez, I think the first time I said to myself I wanted to do this for a living I was 16 and got 2nd at Jr. nationals by like an 1/8 of an inch   

and I think from that point on I made some goals and that started the goal and a dream to get paid and now I’m living it”

 Most embarrasing moment on a bike. Projectile expulsion of bodily fluids or solids is highly encouraged for elaboration.

“I never had those kinds of issues on a bike. One of my most retarded moments on a bike, I was doing a  track world cup in Victoria B.C.  

and rode my track bike to get lunch in my street clothes before the race and coming back I didn’t know there was a very steep downhill  

on the way back to the track and basically bailed and  crashed. Messed up my knee and ruined my track bike  and that was the end  of 

that world cup experience   So the lesson is don’t ride your track bike on the road” (laughing)

Sex the night before a race?  Hell no or yes please and may I have seconds?

 “Uh…no. Gotta stay focused.”

Me: “You’re the only no so far”

 O’Bee: “It’s good in theory, but I think it’s probably better you save you’re energy before a big race”

Me: “Saving vital fluids?”

 O’Bee “Yeah, yeah exactly”

 Favorite artist or band you groove to on the IPod while on solo rides?

 “A multitude, my favorite band is Coldplay, I like the Red Hot Chili Peppers.  It changes, I’ll have a favorite and get tired of it.  

I like Trance/ Dance music, but I don’t listen to music on the bike actually. It distracts me”

 LIZ HATCH

Favorite beer and/ or alcoholic beverage?

 “Well I have two. So my favorites are probably West Gleitcher Falls (sp?) which is impossible to get and 

I love Karmeliet.  It’s a really good summer beer”

Me: “And hard alcohol?”

 Hatch: “Beer, I’m a Beer girl!” (laughing)

Me: "Didn’t I read you like gin too?”

Hatch: “Oh yeah I do love gin. A little Hendricks now and then” 

First moment or race when you said to yourself "I’m so damn sweet I should get paid for this!”

 “I don’t know If I said that yet, it just sort of happened” (giggle)

 Most embarrassing moment on a bike. Projectile expulsion of bodily fluids or solids  is

highly encouraged for elaboration.

 “I got puked on in a race. I’ve puked on people. I don’t know, I’m not really embarrassed on my bike. I’m just happy to be there”

 Sex the night before a race?  Hell no or yes please and may I have seconds?

 “Yes please. Sorry Dad” (laughing hard)

 Favorite artist or band you groove to on the IPod while on solo rides?

 “I listen to a lot of stuff  -Lyle Lovett, John Hiatt, Tiesto. I’m kind of all over the place. Don’t really have a favorite”

Bonus questions!!!

Me: "I used to race cat. 4,  I shave my legs, (I read Liz will not date guys with hairy legs)  I have fairly defined calves 

and  Horner and VDV have willingly posed in pictures with me. With these irrefutable facts in hand,  my two last questions to you are:

1 “Will you pose in a picture with me?”

 and

2. “Can I be your groupie in NY for you to use for your own sexual experimentation?”

Hatch: “To question number one. Yes"  "To question number two (laughing nervously and eyeing the hotel exits) 

We’ll have to talk about that off the record”.

To quote “Art Brut” – My weekend in Philadelphia was “Bang, Bang Rock & Roll!”

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wFXhxhZxKY

 

 

 

 

 

6 Comments

Wheelsucker

i look at him and only see a proud man dressed as caesar. i look at you next to liz and all i see is you counting the seconds until you have a moment to rub one out.

former 'philadelphian'

The Philly race is the ONLY pro bike race in the US which truly captures the Euro style of craziness: beers, rowdy fans, BBQ, relaxed atmosphere AND your favorite riders racing by.
This was a great first-hand description of the madness of the ‘Wall’, if you have never been- you must go.
Eric did a great job with his vivid description of the activities up the ‘wall’.
The questions to the pros great! a different angle to the all too often ‘boring’ obligatory sport journo questions ‘how are your legs?’, ‘what do you think about lance?”
please let us get some more reporting from this guy.

Wheelsucker

would read this and call the author a redneck fuk.

You actually see a proud man dressed as Ceaser? To each his own. Maybe you should watch Animal House sometime.

Faber has a gift — more interviews/race reports like this!!!

Comments are closed.