The Short Version
I’ll have a story to tell early next week, but here’re the bare basics: I finished the race in 10:06 (plus or minus a minute — I can’t find official results posted anywhere), about an hour faster than I had hoped to.
My WaltWorks single speed worked flawlessly, my shoulder gave me no problems, and I felt utterly fantastic the whole day.
Comment by Jill | 08.9.2008 | 11:04 pm
Congratulations! That’s amazing!
Comment by Big Bird | 08.9.2008 | 11:04 pm
Congratulations!
Comment by dawn | 08.9.2008 | 11:04 pm
It was the sun-baked mayo that gave you that extra energy feeling wasn’t it? Either that or a different type of feeling came from that may and the thought of the port-a-potties at the end of the race were your incentive.
Comment by KM | 08.9.2008 | 11:19 pm
Way to GOOOOOO! See, fixing a fatty product to your helmet worked like a good sweatband, except it wicked away extra fat. I could only hope to finish under 11hrs. Congrats!
Comment by Beth | 08.9.2008 | 11:20 pm
Awesome!! Congratulations!
WIN
Comment by BotchedExperiment | 08.9.2008 | 11:22 pm
Impressive.
Comment by Lucas | 08.9.2008 | 11:28 pm
You are truly the man! I only hope to be as great as you someday!
Way to Win One for Susan!
Comment by Vito | 08.9.2008 | 11:33 pm
On a single-speed….that is very cool! Congratulations!
I can hardly wait to hear the whole story.
Comment by mgr | 08.9.2008 | 11:35 pm
Yay!
Comment by Clint | 08.9.2008 | 11:58 pm
Rock on!
\m/
Comment by Mr. Glove | 08.10.2008 | 12:35 am
Way to crank! I am inspired.
Comment by just fat | 08.10.2008 | 12:58 am
I think you just started another fad. Pink fatty shirt
and Mayo on the top!
Congratulations!
Comment by Steve | 08.10.2008 | 1:24 am
dangit, fatty. if you’re not careful you’re going to give away the secret that singlespeeds are not a handicap, and they’ll no longer be a secret weapon …
NICELY DONE.
win, susan. win.
Comment by Mike from Melbourne | 08.10.2008 | 2:17 am
Well done Fatty. That’s a great effort.
Comment by Alex from ZA | 08.10.2008 | 2:18 am
Wow! Congrats, that’s brilliant!
Comment by Hamish A | 08.10.2008 | 2:41 am
Awesome. Well done Fatty! A ride (and finishing time) very well deserved. I put it down to the Mayo & Mary bars!
Looking forward to the report. I hope the rest of The Core Group fared as well and has as much fun as you did.
Comment by Yukirin Boy | 08.10.2008 | 2:43 am
Fantastic Fatty! Stunning.
Cant wait to hear the “long” version.
Win Susan.
Comment by AMR | 08.10.2008 | 3:14 am
Bravo! Wowsa good! May you now have a day of relaxation with adoring servants bringing you delicious beverages & snackies and fanning you with palm fronds.
Comment by aussie kev | 08.10.2008 | 4:12 am
you rock
Comment by flossy | 08.10.2008 | 4:39 am
awesome! hang out for the full update
Comment by Big Boned | 08.10.2008 | 5:09 am
Fatty,
It was “The Band”! Congrats!
Comment by Paul | 08.10.2008 | 5:24 am
A whole hour!
Awesome job, Fatty!
Comment by Hayduke | 08.10.2008 | 5:35 am
Behold, the power of mayonnaise!
Congratulations!
Comment by Mike Roadie | 08.10.2008 | 5:35 am
Huzzah!!! Awesomely awesome!
Can’t wait for the pics and stories!
Congratulations—especially that the shoulder didn’t give you any problems.
WIN
Unite
LiveSTRONG
Comment by Philly Jen | 08.10.2008 | 5:40 am
Yes, huzzah!
Way to kick it!
(Would you like some fries with that mayo?)
WIN Team Fatty
Comment by Katie | 08.10.2008 | 5:47 am
Congratulations!
WIN Susan
Comment by Wine Dog | 08.10.2008 | 6:48 am
I’d call that a good day. Can’t wait for the long version. Will there be photojournalism?
Win Susan.
Comment by NW | 08.10.2008 | 7:32 am
Congratulations!
WIN SUSAN!
Comment by Lori | 08.10.2008 | 7:34 am
Yay Fatty!!!
Comment by Gillian | 08.10.2008 | 8:12 am
Shut the hell up. 10:06?? Way to go!!! Can’t wait to read the recap.
My legs hurt just reading that time.
Comment by Susan | 08.10.2008 | 8:15 am
So did you pass Lance? :)
Glad to hear the shoulder was good.
Comment by jt | 08.10.2008 | 8:43 am
Dude,
You’re going to have to change a few things about this site. FastCyclist.com to start with, and we’re going to have to start calling you “Fasty”. Monumental ride. Congratulations.
Win Susan!
Comment by Lifesgreat | 08.10.2008 | 8:43 am
Hooray!
I am glad the shoulder didn’t give you trouble.
Comment by Maile in Florida | 08.10.2008 | 9:36 am
Great job! Fantastic ride! and…
…were there brats after?
WIN Susan!
Comment by montanapat | 08.10.2008 | 9:47 am
Way to go Fatty! While I was out riding yesterday, I couldn’t help but think you were going to come in close to the 10 hour mark. Just a feeling I had… Who’s the man? You’re THE man!
Win Susan!
Comment by Dobovedo | 08.10.2008 | 10:30 am
awesome job!
(just tell us you then ate bratwurst and bread for 1:05:11 for a 2-stage total of 11:11:11!)
Comment by KeepYerBag | 08.10.2008 | 10:49 am
I always look forward to hearing about the Leadville ride. Glad to hear it went well.
Comment by Tiger | 08.10.2008 | 10:49 am
Wooohooo!
Great ridee! Can’t wait to read the recap. It must’ve been the mayo.
Dude, you could market that!
Comment by MTB W | 08.10.2008 | 10:51 am
Way to go Fatty! Singlespeed with a bum shoulder on a course that pushes even the best riders in the world? Not a problem to an award winning blogger. It’s cool that you are in a race that has, once again, hit the major news media.
Looking forward to your report.
Comment by Annie | 08.10.2008 | 11:46 am
Way to go. That’s fantastic!
Comment by Den | 08.10.2008 | 11:58 am
Elden,
Congrats. You’re silence concerning Lance prior to the race spoke volumes to me. I figured that there was something special set up with meeting him and Susan. That was my prediction. I hope I was right.
You were just too quiet about Lance and your silence about him being there, which we all knew via the media, seemed very odd for you. I figured that was your secret concerning Susan.
Again, I hope I was right.
God Bless.
:)
Comment by kc | 08.10.2008 | 12:04 pm
Fatty,
You left out something very important. What did you eat after the race?
Comment by KanyonKris | 08.10.2008 | 12:13 pm
Excellent time! You do have the “keep turning the cranks” superpower!
Comment by bikesgonewild | 08.10.2008 | 12:25 pm
…wiensy was heard to mutter on the start line, before the race “i’m more worried about the guy w/ mayo on his helmet than i am about lance“…
…but then again, maybe that was a different kinda worry…
…props on a great ride & no matter what your placing, you WON one for susan…
Comment by ann | 08.10.2008 | 12:56 pm
YAY – that was on my OCD mind all day – what with the extra weight of the mayo and all.
Comment by Kendall | 08.10.2008 | 1:12 pm
That’s awesome! Way to go!
Comment by cyclingeurope | 08.10.2008 | 2:13 pm
So, aside from being very impressed about your time, and the fact that it was a single speed and all, and your hurt shoulder…
I’ve tried to glean from all the comments of the past two posts more info on the mayonnaise, to see if anyone would give away its true purpose. I still can’t figure it out and I am not too proud to admit that I have no idea (I know I’m not alone, just the only one brave enough to admit it…)
Was it:
1. extra calories to add to the Clif Bars or Power bars at the feed stations
2. padding in case you fell on your noggin
3. something to weird the people out who would come to your aid in case you did land on your head, to make them pass out when seeing the white stuff ooze from the general direction of your head…
4. A weapon to stick in someone’s spokes, a la Breaking Away (so they would be weirded out when white goo splashed in their faces)
5. A ploy to ward off the gods of super-hard falls on the hip joint…a la Iban Mayo…
6. a self-inflicted handicapping method
7. you know from past Leadville 100 races that they don’t supply mayonnaise at the post race party, so you wanted to be prepared
8. Your own proportional caloric needs for fat surpass the typical athletic or zone diet carbs/protein/fat ratio so you have to carry quick absorbing fat with you (maybe you’re a 30:30:40 ratio?)
9. an effort to completely confuse people like me, who are fairly new to your blog!
;-) Jennifer
(from over here in Vail, not far from Leadville. I thought of you yesterday – hope it was as cool as it was in Aspen where we were riding for the day)
Comment by Clydesdale | 08.10.2008 | 3:42 pm
Nice rep of the pink jerseys yesterday. Me and the wife went to see Lance. Man I was surprised by all the fatcyclist jerseys I saw. Hats off to all that completed the course. If you got any pull with the lottery people hook me up I want in the Leadville 100.
Comment by jaxpaw | 08.10.2008 | 3:56 pm
Amazing, fantastic job, congrats!
Comment by leroy | 08.10.2008 | 5:48 pm
Congratulations!
Sounds like you had a blast!
Comment by Jenni | 08.10.2008 | 7:18 pm
Congratulations – you deserve to have a day when you feel utterly fantastic!
Comment by Richard | 08.10.2008 | 7:27 pm
WE’RE NOT WORTHY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
Comment by Jen | 08.10.2008 | 9:17 pm
Wonderful, great job!
Jen
Comment by dr_robert | 08.11.2008 | 1:28 am
WIN!
Comment by Big Mike In Oz | 08.11.2008 | 4:53 am
What’s up with that time?
You’ve never cracked a sub-10 and this year with a bad shoulder, on a single speed, with a sick wife and no training you manage to get within 6 minutes.
I’m confused.
Comment by MTB W | 08.11.2008 | 6:31 am
Bi Mike, Fatty’s goal in past years was to be sub 9, not sub 10. Last year he came in at 9:14.
Comment by MTB W | 08.11.2008 | 6:32 am
Sorry – Big Mike.
Comment by Luis | 08.11.2008 | 8:11 am
Way to go !!
We crawl on your presence, hail the fa(s)tty master !!
Comment by Zak | 08.11.2008 | 8:57 am
#268. Elden Nelson (Alpine, UT), 42 in 010:06:42
http://www.velonews.com/results/81522
Comment by MattyDC | 08.11.2008 | 10:11 am
Congrats Fatty! You are dead hard.
Scroll through (i.e., up from Fatmeister) the list of results and you will find other Fat Cyclist luminaries. Awesome job bros! Does Fatty have to wash all of your rigs with a Q-Tip?
WIN.
Comment by Bryan (not that one) | 08.11.2008 | 10:15 am
Awesome, Fatty!!!
Comment by Jay Peitzer | 08.11.2008 | 10:27 am
Well you didn’t make a schmuck out of me….LOL. I told my wife you’d finish and do around 10 hours. So maybe you surprised yourself but you didn’t surprise me.
WIN SUSAN!!!!!
Comment by Wheels | 08.11.2008 | 11:06 am
Ahh, great to hear! Congratulations. Can’t wait for the full report… feel free to drag it out for a few days to keep us entertained all week.
Comment by Bill Martin | 08.11.2008 | 1:22 pm
Way to go man! Like the church lady says, “Could it be … say … CarboRocket? hummm?”
Comment by Bitter (formerly known as Lissee) | 08.11.2008 | 1:45 pm
*grinning over here*
Comment by b21 | 08.11.2008 | 1:46 pm
Potential Explanations
1. The Mayo
2. You are a Freak of Nature (FON)
3. Susan willed you to the finish.
I am ruling out one. While I am convinced two is true, probably not relevant here, so I am going with three.
Hellava job. I guess anything’s possible then?
B21
WIN
Comment by James | 08.11.2008 | 2:00 pm
Congratulations fatty and on a single speed no less! Impressive. Makes me want to eat some brats, get a 29er and mediocre myself to excellence!
Comment by kentucky joe | 08.12.2008 | 5:44 pm
okay, so what about the other 10:06:12 of the race?! Don’t you realize you have a duty to provide a race report here! Glad calmer heads prevail and my faith in the humane humanity that reads and comments on this blog has almost been restored.