Posts from — January 2007

This patchwork of scans is all that is left of the original poster, which came with the May 1990 issue of Miroir du Cyclisme a great French cycling magazine. Planckaert won Paris-Roubaix that year, beating Canadian Steve Bauer at the line in an epic photo finish.

I added the misspelled cut-out dialog balloon to the poster in 1991, the first year I did the Paskenta Century, commonly known as ‘Skenna. While ‘Skenna is no Paris-Roubaix, it is, in its own right, “the Hell of the North” for cyclists in Northern California and beyond.

I have no claim to fame at ‘Skenna, though I did do an out-and-back variation one year. Like most folks, I’ve done that ride and done nothing but suffer.

I haven’t ridden ‘Skenna in years and don’t plan on riding it this weekend. I have plenty of friends who will be there though, as they are every year and this Sunday morning I will raise my glass to them and toast their bravery, their tenacity and their sheer will to ride their bikes for 100+ miles in the crosswinds, through the gravel and onto the finish in front of Jackon Pollock’s old house.