Story: Northern California Cycling Association's Most Improved Rider Trophy

One of the best parties I have had the pleasure to attend has been the annual NCNCA (Northern California/Nevada Cycling Association) banquet. (Note that the name now includes Nevada.) This party is conducted after the end of the racing season, and is a great place to see a wide variety of cycling personalities in a different setting. A racing club usually works with the NCNCA, and many others chip in and help. In 1980, the Berkeley Bicycle Club (see Story: Berkeley Bicycle Club ) took charge, the Bike Barb was the head chef, and many of us in the club helped put on this affair at the Berkeley Veteran's Memorial Building.

Yes, I did win the trophy, but there was a lot of other fun as well. A food fight broke out, and I saw an arch rival take a hit in the ear from a rapidly moving and very moist ravioli. Clean up was a bit of work, but some of us stayed late with the hope of someday having the opportunity to use the building at a future date (which we were denied). The pasta sauce was cooked in three five gallon vessels, and when all was said and done, the three vessels were nearly empty. I was asked to empty two of the vessels into the other one, and to clean those two that I had emptied. As we worked, the partiers streamed by, telling us that they had never had better pasta sauce. The compliments seemed unending, and interfered with our work. I finally poured the contents of one vessel into another, looked down into the empty vessel which was now to be cleaned, and to my astonishment, a large dead rat was stuck to the bottom! I was gasping for words as another partier walked by and said, "I don't know what your secret ingredient is, but that was the best darn pasta I have ever had!"