Scroll down to see the Majors in action!
Scroll to the very bottom to read some thoughts and memories.

Major Taylor Cycling Club...in for a loooong day of suffering...

i think this is @ chili on the way down... (kevin)

my knee HURTS... (walter)

insane... (doug)

i hurt all over... (carl, kevin)

wha-zuuuup... (carl, kevin, bryon)

the ohio state crew made a return this year...with big ideas! i'd been riding quite strongly that year...after lots of racing, and even managing to get 2 stage races under my belt, i was feelin saucy! unfortunately the weather on saturday morning was a little less saucy, instead more soupy - it was cloudy, cool, and pissing rain! what the hell...all the fellas joined up @ Pate's house and rolled out of town. i went w/ my boys in the early group and headed out of columbus. just south of downtown @ the turn onto 104 south, i was feeling my oats and bridged solo up to a group from team columbus (guys i'd been racing with that spring), and we were GONE! i mean, we were flying - we got down to chilli in under 2 hours! while the fast time was good for the ego, it was not good for the knees nor camraderie. for as i rolled into chilli, my left knee was ILLIN' big time. i mean, i couldnt push on the pedal at all! i rolled into the chilli rest stop, and waited, and waited, and waited, and waited...the rest of the Majors did the wise thing and took it modestly into the brutal headwind and rain. in my case, big gears and cold weather are not good for the machinery. well, we hung out in chilli...and i iced my knee...and prayed. the rain pretty much abated by then, but it was still cloudy and chilly and windy. we pushed on, well i should say the club pushed on without me, as i couldnt push at all w/ my left knee. nothing. i was getting passed by kids riding their Big Wheels! i remember as i started sliding back thru the bunch...then sorta lost contact...jed looked behind at this pitiful sight on 2 wheels, kinda shook his head, then rolled on. and that was it for me with the group...i noodled the rest of the way...into P-town, riding solo, pedaling with one leg...in the words of the Beastie Boys: one lonely beastie i be, all by myself without nobody... that was brutal. i iced my knee all night @ the church, but i was going nowhere fast. i ended up riding in the sag back to columbus with uncle mel...and maybe 1 other dude. ironically, day 2 ended up being perfectly clear and sunny, if a little windy. moral of the story: when rolling out of columbus, check your ego and just ride w/ the fellas...it's a 200-mile ride and it's nice to have camraderie for all 200 of them! much love, wally (written march 11, 2005)