Flashes of Panic

While “excitement” around here is limited to writing and grading labs and reading my own homework, last night I heard that one of my former co-workers is now a world record holder.

In the results of the 2006 World Masters Track Cycling Championships, being held this week in Manchester, England, you’ll find the women’s 500m time trial won in 36.997 by the former photo editor at RW. Her mark beats not only her own age group (35-39) record, but all the other masters records—in other words, it’s the fastest mark by any woman over 30.

Now, this is pretty cool just by itself, but it needs a little background. Emmaus is not too far from Trexlertown, PA, home of the Lehigh Valley Velodrome, a three-laps-per-kilometer concrete bowl in the cornfields which is one of the few Olympic-caliber velodromes in the USA. I remember going over to watch Liz race (and win) on a Saturday morning, and also going on Friday nights (the big nights) to watch her and other co-workers riding track bikes (no brakes, no coasting, no shifting) under the lights. And I remember when she tangled with another rider and got slammed to the track. After spending a few weeks in the hospital with a cracked jaw and the nicest shiner I’ve ever seen (we’ll not mention the condition of her helmet, which probably saved her life) she was out, back on the bike, and back in the velodrome.

And she’s still there.

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