"I felt a little like Dave Wiens at Leadville when I saw a former professional show up," Street said. "But I just rode tranquilo."

What the he!! does that mean? "I don't know, it's what Choppy used to say – he said it sounds like something the Italians would say."

There was a bunch of jockeying among the 2-5, but they all lost so who cares? No, what makes this WOP epic was the rain. It started raining on the climb and by the descent on the Blue Ridge Parkway and 276, it was a deluge.

"Everybody needs to experience something like that," said LL. "You know you're alive when you're hammering switchbacks at 35 mph in a driving rain-storm."

As usual, Fat Toad bombed the downhill, then helped lead a Doug-Doug-Street runaway victory in 3 vs. 3 basketball. It was Clive's first official game of hoops, so Street introduced him to the sport by swatting his first shot into the wall and laughing with (at) him.

Still, Clive is cool as they come and showed good form in dangling King on 276, letting him get close and then accerlerating, VB style. And he takes good photos and video, including the following video which shows King getting shelled for the second straight day:

 http://youtu.be/Yph0qZR3g3w

And here are the photos:

http://picasaweb.google.com/desousaclive/ViciousBikers?feat=email#

And in case you're keeping score at home, Cherry-Bomb bailed in fear, Natureboy and Squirrel were curled in a fetal position most of the weekend at home, and Punk and Choppy claim they couldn't make the drive – bunch of wusses …

WTF?

Is Street using the old Fat Toad, have a mechanical rather than get dropped trick? Or is Street falling apart? Two weeks to WOP Summer ed, not looking so good for Da Street. But then again, it can’t be worse for him than last year.

 Hope you are all well.  BTW, I am still technically a male.

Choppy was so in love with his abilities that he constantly talked smack to his Asian co-workers in the lab. They, in turn, ridiculed his side burns and his grumpy demeanor, in Mandarin.

Flash forward, Chops comes to SC and lays down the same sort of smack talk to the VBs. "I can play ping pong," Street volunteered one day. "I'd kill you," Choppy replied. "It would be ugly, real ugly." The same conversation took place regularly over the years.

Finally, Street could take the verbal abuse no longer, and on Saturday, he tested the young Chopper out. Ever confident, Chops took the first game in a squeeker, as Street committed unforced error after unforced error.

But as the second game unfolded, Street's timing started to return, and he crushed the Chopster. In the rubber match, Street finally unleashed a full assault, hammering backhands and smashing forehand winners. As he put away the final point, Street looked across the table at a clearly crushed Choppy, and felt remorse.

Perhaps I should have let him win, Street thought – clearly this means more to him than to me. Ever the gracious winner, Street congratulated Choppy on his effort and sportsmanship, "you gave it your best, and that's all anybody can ask, Tom."

Dejected, Choppy has apparently left his job, put his home on the market and is contemplating an immediate move back to California.

Street feels a little guilty. "I wasn't trying to drive him out of town – I liked him, he was a really, really nice guy. I guess I'll just have to go back to letting him win."