My Friends, Family, and I Are All Very Sophisticated
I just got back from a fun, casual ride along Lake Turquoise. What a great trail. Someday I want to come back here just to spend a few days riding.
But what’s really important is that Kellene and I did one of her jumping poses. And even more important than that is that unbeknownst to us, Kenny joined the pose, too.
I believe this may be my favorite photo, ever.
About the Orbea Contest
The Shimano / Orbea contest is now over. I’ve got all the data and am — when I can get a couple minutes, collating it and getting it ready to do the drawing. It’s not a minor task; there’s a lot of data from a lot of sources, and I’m busy getting ready for the race here.
In other words, just because you haven’t gotten notified you’re a winner yet, doesn’t mean you’re not a winner. I will get the winner chosen by Monday when I get home and can double-check all the data.
Meanwhile, consider this: thanks to your donations, Team Fatty is now the first team to ever cross the $600,000 threshold. And we did it on Susan’s and my 21st wedding anniversary. That means a lot to me. Thanks.
Comment by aussie kev | 08.14.2009 | 5:04 pm
as my coach used to say
“have fun ride hard keep your head up”
allez fatty
Comment by Bragger | 08.14.2009 | 5:12 pm
I will keep my fingers crossed all weekend.
Comment by CSB | 08.14.2009 | 5:14 pm
Fatty,
Awesome photo, and thank YOU for what you’re doing for the fight against cancer, as well as the toughness you’re showing through all this.
Comment by Phil | 08.14.2009 | 5:18 pm
Allez Fatty.
Comment by Jaime O. | 08.14.2009 | 5:21 pm
lollll You three are a mess. FLS.
Comment by LuckyL | 08.14.2009 | 5:21 pm
Congrats on the donations and your anniversary! That’s magical. Thanks for keeping in touch but just have a damn good time. You’ve earned it by teaching all of us so much about how to live life.
Allez Fatty!
PS My bike has four legs and some serious horsepower! I love your logo.
Comment by Chris B | 08.14.2009 | 5:26 pm
But Fatty there’s bikes in the shot! It makes the jumping a little less special, that’s all I’m saying.
Comment by Frank & Mer | 08.14.2009 | 5:26 pm
You mean I checked my email about a million times for nothing? That’s just cruel.
Comment by Debbie in Memphis | 08.14.2009 | 5:28 pm
Congratulations Team Fatty!
Allez Fatty!!
Comment by Scoty in Salida | 08.14.2009 | 5:31 pm
Sorry I was not there I was damn’d at the other dam; Twin Lakes.
Comment by km | 08.14.2009 | 5:36 pm
Congrats Fatty, glad to have helped. Crush the Leadville!!
Comment by Uni-Tom | 08.14.2009 | 5:40 pm
Kenny looks like some invisible force is holding him up by his neck. Nice bug eyes…
Glad to see all the support from family and friends. Wail on Leadville this weekend…
Comment by Lerjoy | 08.14.2009 | 5:47 pm
Awesome picture, awesome accomplishment ($600,000)!!!
Go Team!!!
Comment by Caroline | 08.14.2009 | 5:54 pm
LOVE IT!!!!!
Thanks for sharing!!
Comment by monkeywebb | 08.14.2009 | 5:56 pm
That’s quite the milestone. It has been a privilege to be a part of magic. A small part. Like 1/1000th.
Comment by Mike | 08.14.2009 | 5:57 pm
the wooly fatcyclist jersey is dead sexy. Now I need one. Have a good race. Win!
Comment by Mark W | 08.14.2009 | 6:15 pm
have a good race and allez allez allez!!!
Comment by Philly Jen | 08.14.2009 | 6:23 pm
Who knew Kenny was so pedagogically inclined? Here he is, helpfully illustrating for us all just what the difference between boys and girls actually is.
Meanwhile, crystal ball says all the ladies will soon begin tossing beads at Kenny, NOLA-style…
Comment by Tomingeorgia | 08.14.2009 | 6:25 pm
Nice flash Kenny …if he could have pulled off a “blue steel” pose while doing that it would have been perfect…in fact…tell him to work on it and get back with us…
Comment by Andrea | 08.14.2009 | 6:33 pm
Congratulations to Team Fatty. Hope you tear it up tomorrow!
Comment by Bander | 08.14.2009 | 6:33 pm
Why is Kenny flashing his tits?
Comment by USARMYCPT | 08.14.2009 | 6:43 pm
Keep up the Great work! and enjoy the suffering tomorrow!
Comment by Dr Codfish | 08.14.2009 | 6:45 pm
Note to Kenny:
You’re no womens USA soccer team member … keep the jersey on.
Yr Pal Dr Codfish
Comment by Mom of Fatty | 08.14.2009 | 6:46 pm
And while you and Kellene were jumping into the air, your 4 kids were sliding down every death defying water slide at Seven Peaks. Have a great ride tomorrow and know that all is well at home and we are cheering you on!
Comment by bubbaseadog | 08.14.2009 | 6:50 pm
i remember you said you wanted to be the team that raised one million dollars this year.i think you got a good shot to do so. keep on keepin on fight like susan and you will do it
Comment by Tim Kimrey | 08.14.2009 | 6:53 pm
Love the photo.
Having a hard time comprehending wool jerseys and arm warmers when it’s still friggin’ ride sleeveless hot here in New Jersey (of course folks in Jersey love the sleeveless thing).
FLS. Fight Like Susan, Fatty Live Strong, Fatty Leadville Squasher.
Comment by Mike from Melbourne | 08.14.2009 | 7:03 pm
Great photo guys.
Rip their legs off in the race !
Comment by WheelDancer | 08.14.2009 | 7:10 pm
Winning the bike would be pretty cool but being part of kicking the total across the $600K mark on your 21st is worth more than any bike. The bike, of course, would be great frosting on that cake but it still wouldn’t bring me the same kind of heartfelt satisfaction.
Congrats Fatty, now go tear up Leadville the same way you have torn up the fundraising.
Comment by Doug and Michelle | 08.14.2009 | 7:13 pm
Way to go Team Fatty! $600,000 rocks. Good luck this weekend.
Comment by BigShorty | 08.14.2009 | 7:18 pm
Kenny pulling off a photobomb during a family shot. NICE!
$600K ought to help stoke that fire inside of ya!
Have an awesome day tomorrow….lot’s will be thinking of you both on terra firma and up above.
Don’t forget the mayonaise!
BigShorty
Comment by BigShorty | 08.14.2009 | 7:22 pm
NOTE TO MOM OF FATTY!!!!!!
Your family is awesome, your level of pride must be amazing!
Best wishes from the flat corn fields of Illinois!
BigShorty
Comment by laineyme | 08.14.2009 | 7:42 pm
Ride hard guys and have fun
Comment by Will Freeman | 08.14.2009 | 7:44 pm
Fatty, you are the man! That is all I can say after all you have given us. It is great to see you having fun. Now go out and burn up the trail. I want to hear a report of a fat tire-fatty-forest fire. Ride well big dawg.
Comment by MJ | 08.14.2009 | 7:46 pm
Go Fatty!
Comment by Powerful Pete | 08.14.2009 | 7:52 pm
Go Fatty! Ride like the wind… and have fun!
Comment by Marla | 08.14.2009 | 7:52 pm
Awesome!!!
Comment by bobbieh | 08.14.2009 | 7:52 pm
Congrats to TeamFatty for such a wonderful milestone!!!
And Elden ~ I see the joy of Susan in that jump ~ and it makes my heart smile ~
Rock Leadville!!!
Comment by Pam | 08.14.2009 | 8:06 pm
Glad you are getting to let some steam off…watch out Weins and Armstong, Fatty is on your tail!!!
Comment by anji | 08.14.2009 | 8:33 pm
awesome job on the $600 000!!!
Comment by Mir | 08.14.2009 | 8:41 pm
Mom of Fatty rocks, and so does Kellene. Good luck tomorrow!
Comment by Linda | 08.14.2009 | 8:50 pm
I love your mom…have a great time!
Comment by Brian Sherry | 08.14.2009 | 9:03 pm
Fatty-
Fantastic. Do not worry about the bike – do not worry about the contest – do not worry about yesterday – do not worry about tomorrow – enjoy the moment and apparently you are already absorbing some of the love that you have been incessantly giving – apparent by the fact you are getting like an inch or so more vert in that picture. Ride on
Comment by Jamieson | 08.14.2009 | 9:11 pm
Awesome that you got your taper ride in finally.
$600,000 – LA had better get a couple of photos with you this weekend and thank you for what you are doing.
Your 21st and the race – have a wonderful day!
Comment by Bridget | 08.14.2009 | 9:18 pm
I’m so privileged to be a tiny part of the $600,000!
Win.
Comment by Jouni | 08.14.2009 | 9:43 pm
Ok, Brian Sherry is my favourite poster. Dude…you capture what we all need. Merci!
Elden…you’ll get this…”Allez Pou Pou, Allez!”
Tail winds and fast legs to you, friend.
Comment by Big Boned | 08.14.2009 | 10:09 pm
Fatty,
Just a couple of things:
1) Kellene has WAY better hops than you.
2) I think you are wearing a pair of Kellene’s pants – that’s WEIRD! For your own good don’t wear those things in Philly! The locals might not take kindly – I’m just sayin’.
3) Team Fatty ROCKS! Now go kick butt tomorrow.
Big Boned
Comment by annainaspen | 08.14.2009 | 10:10 pm
Congrats on $600,00! I hope the weather is good tomorrow. Here in Aspen it’s lighting and raining.
Have fun and ride hard!
FIGHT LIKE SUSAN!
Comment by Wild Dingo | 08.14.2009 | 10:19 pm
I love Kellene! She’s so damn cute. But darn, shouldn’t you be like, conserving your energy for the race, err…ride?? Darn ambitious of you to be doing all that jumpin’ around!
have fun!
and congratulations on the $600K!
Comment by Mariah | 08.14.2009 | 10:38 pm
Hot Damn Fatty… $600k. As a daughter of a survivor thank you for what you have brought to the fight. Congratulation on 21 yrs!! Allez Fatty. FLS!!
Comment by Born 4 Lycra | 08.14.2009 | 10:43 pm
So back on March 28 I doubt whether you would have got off the ground. Good to see you had a strong grip on the Oakleys.
600000 reasons for Lance to find you tomorrow which maybe today by now still can’t get a handle on this international date line thingy.
Have Fun.
Comment by Onan the Barbarian | 08.14.2009 | 10:50 pm
Allez Fatty.
Fight. Win. Ride.
Comment by BuzzLiteBoy | 08.15.2009 | 2:16 am
So, for all of you who missed out, I was there, albeit lagging WAY behind these beasts from Utah. Now, I’m not super-skilled on the mountain bike, but the opportunity to meet Elden and the Core Team was too great to pass up. So I lugged my thirty-pound Fisher hard-tail up to the dam and was just pleased to a part of this group for a little while.
A couple of hours later, a couple of awesome falls later (that would be me!), the ride was over. Elden said “a casual, mellow-paced mountain bike ride on beautiful lakeside singletrack.” I would love to see these guys go all-out, let me tell you!
Thanks for the invite, thanks for the opportunity to be a part of something this big. Thanks for making all of know we are doing something important and lasting.
Kevin
Comment by buckythedonkey | 08.15.2009 | 2:34 am
My goodness, that is quite a milestone.
Allez Fatty!
WIN
Comment by Yukirin Boy | 08.15.2009 | 3:05 am
600K is mind-blowing !
Good Luck Fatty and Team Fatty members at Leadville.
WIN!
Comment by BikecopVT | 08.15.2009 | 3:27 am
Pain bubbles have been cleared.
Fight Like Susan!!!!
Have Fun
LiveStrong!
Comment by A Fan | 08.15.2009 | 6:38 am
I’m pulling for you Fatty!
Question to the other fans here that have been following for a while, particularly the veterans here – and I say this with complete respect and concern – Fatty MUST be mourning a bit, right? Do you think he is just not expressing it for personal reasons, or do you think maybe he is blocking it out?
I’m only worried because I’ve known people that blocked it out and it was never a good thing.
A while back I went and read the blog over, starting some time last year, and it was not too terribly uncommon for Fatty to write a little personally/emotionally occasionally, and he isn’t doing it now. I don’t want him to be down or depressed, but he seems to be almost overly excited since Monday.
I’m just concerned :(
Comment by A Fan | 08.15.2009 | 6:45 am
Also, my calculator (in my head) may be broken because when you add those donation amounts up, it comes to $584 thousand and change. Are other sources added into that? Whether it is or not, you still kick major a$$ for what you are doing. It would have been incredible at $100k, so it’s amazing no matter.
Comment by Mike Roadie | 08.15.2009 | 6:49 am
YW……and no, thank YOU!
FLS 24/7
Comment by Richie | 08.15.2009 | 7:49 am
Allez Allez Allez!!
Comment by Kathleen@ForgingAhead | 08.15.2009 | 8:43 am
Love the jump!
Comment by Kris | 08.15.2009 | 8:58 am
Submit to:
http://thisisphotobomb.com/
Comment by Susan | 08.15.2009 | 9:29 am
Hey – maybe, just maybe, you’ll make the $1M mark???
Love the picture!! Happy Anniversary and good luck today! I’ll be thinking of you & Susan.
Comment by Beth | 08.15.2009 | 9:30 am
I can wait till Monday on the bike ……till then have a blast !
Comment by Kathleen@ForgingAhead | 08.15.2009 | 10:07 am
UPDATE 8:06am Local Time Chris Brewer of Livestrong tweeted that Elden crashed – banged up but ok and in good spirits.
http://twitter.com/livestrongcb
Comment by Kathleen@ForgingAhead | 08.15.2009 | 10:08 am
Sorry – that’s 10:06 local time…got mixed up on the time change.
Comment by Kathleen@ForgingAhead | 08.15.2009 | 10:09 am
Well, maybe not completely ok – something about needing an Xray on his hip. Oh dear.
Here’s his tweet:
Confirmed: @fatcyclist crashed out on a paved turn, went down an embankment and is banged up, maybe xrays on hip later
Comment by BikecopVT | 08.15.2009 | 10:11 am
Sorry to post this, I hope it’s not true, but Twitter is updating Elden has crashed out of Leadville. Safely off the course, possible hip injury. Apparently unlucky 13 today.
Fight Like Susan
Comment by DukePirate | 08.15.2009 | 11:47 am
Sorry to hear about the wreck, as there’s nothing quite as frustrating as not being able to finish a big race. I hope you’re back in action soon, though.
Ride on!
Comment by Bruce Bebow | 08.15.2009 | 11:57 am
Love the pic! So much going on in that pic. Drama, action, comedy.
$400k to go!
Comment by Hillslug | 08.15.2009 | 12:28 pm
Just read your Twitter. Sorry about the crash and sending “heal fast” vibes.
Comment by Hillslug | 08.15.2009 | 12:28 pm
Oops, I am not sorry about sending the vibes, just sorry about the crash. . .
Comment by Big Boned | 08.15.2009 | 1:19 pm
Saw it posted that Lance won in 6:28.
Recover quick Fatty!
Comment by Jodi | 08.15.2009 | 2:18 pm
Elden crashed out about 15 miles into the race. Sent assurances that he is cut and bruised, but ok. He also mentioned that Lance won at 6:28 – with a flat back tire. Pretty amazing.
Comment by Kathleen@ForgingAhead | 08.15.2009 | 3:15 pm
Jodi – thanks for letting us know he’s ok!
Comment by Mike | 08.15.2009 | 4:04 pm
Congratulations on the donations!!!
Comment by Born 4 Lycra | 08.15.2009 | 5:32 pm
A Fan I was hoping someone a bit closer both as a friend and Geographically might answer but for what it is worth here goes. FC has a great family support and friend support (the Core Team) network and I am sure they are keeping an eye on him. Yes he is mourning and lets face it he has been preparing himself to do so for a long time. We all approach this sort of stuff differently and I’m sure there is more emotional writing and venting to come but he is in safe hands and dealing with it his way.
Just as an aside FC I bet you were on sub nine time when you pranged. Well this weekend was exciting Phillie is going to be huge hope you are okay to be involved.
Comment by Sara | 08.15.2009 | 5:48 pm
Thank you, Born4Lycra. I had written an angry comment earlier in response to AFans observations. Luckily I didn’t press send….it wasn’t nice. You expressed my thoughts without the nasty remarks.
Hey, FC, hang in there. Sorry, was hoping you would bonk big time, not crash! We’re all here, wishing we could help fix you.
Cheers.
Comment by annainaspen | 08.15.2009 | 5:56 pm
Fell better soon Fatty! Sorry you didn’t have a better race.
Comment by A Fan | 08.16.2009 | 2:38 am
Thank you B4L. And Sara, I can assure you, as I stated before, it was meant in no disrespect whatsoever. It is genuinely out of concern. I don’t believe there is anyone here that is not on Team FC, if not in person then in our hearts.
Sending speedy recovery wished Elden.
Comment by Gene | 08.17.2009 | 6:32 am
This reminds me of one of those old Toyota Commercials.
Comment by Haven (used to be Kt) | 08.17.2009 | 12:33 pm
I think Elden is more private about mourning than we are– and he channels it into a) riding the wheels off his bike, b) raising funds for Livestrong and c) taking care of his family. We might not be on the inside of everything that goes on with him, and that’s fine.
Great photo, Elden! Did Lance catch up to you for a photo op? :) Before the hospital run, that is. :)