End of the Road: 2013 Salt to Saint Race Report, Part VIII
A Note from Fatty: Confused by this post? That may be because this is Part 8 of my Salt to Saint writeup. It’ll make more sense if you read the earlier installments first:
- Part I: The Things that Hurt
- Part II: Meet Your Competitors
- Part III: Team Fatty Cannot Seem to Catch a Break
- Part IV: Support from a Unicorn
- Part V: Life as a Domestique
- Part VI: Everything Falls Apart
- Part VII: Changing and Chasing
I probably owe you an apology. See, in yesterday’s post, I ended with this:
I was a third of the way into a 423-mile ride and had somehow managed to find myself alone, in a headwind, prone to flats, with no tubes, and no food.
And I just didn’t have it in me to chase anymore.
In fact, I didn’t feel like pedaling at all.
That’s pretty dramatic. It sounds, in fact, as if I were in really serious trouble. Like I was contemplating throwing in the towel. And at the moment, I really, truly, and for reals felt that way.
With that kind of build-up, you’d kind of expect that I was in for hours of lonely, bonked riding.
Hopefully, then, it won’t be too severe a letdown when I reveal that fifteen minutes after I fixed the flat and got riding, I saw Scott and Kerry, parked in a pull-out area on the side of the road.
And there, with them, was The Hammer.
“I was sick of riding in the wind alone,” she said. “And I was hungry. So I waited for you.”
“And,” she said, “I needed to pee.”
“I missed you too,” I replied. “And I am done with the whole ‘Go on ahead’ thing.”
We got back on our Shivs for this relatively flat section and began riding, together, again.
A New Food Plan
“I can’t eat the pizza rolls and cinnamon rolls and turnovers and stuff like that anymore,” I confessed over my shoulder. I felt bad saying it, because I knew The Hammer had put a ton of work into baking all of this as our main food source for the race.
“I can’t either,” said The Hammer. “A little while ago I spat one out.”
“Me too!”
It was a beautiful moment of bonding.
But it was also a dilemma. I decided that I personally was just going to stick to my favorite go-to energy food in the world: Honey Stinger Organic Chews (The Caffeinated Cherry Cola flavor is currently my favorite).
“Every half hour,” she said, “We eat something. Together. At the same time. No matter what.”
And that was a moment of bonding, too. Although perhaps not as beautiful.
Honestly, at this very moment, I cannot remember what The Hammer was eating every half hour (and I can’t go ask her, because she’s still in bed). But I do remember that we made a pact that from that point on, we would eat together, every half hour.
And so — without fail — every half hour, when my Garmin 510 beeped (I always have it set to alert me every half hour to eat), I’d call out, “time to eat!” and we’d stuff something into our mouths, while making sure the other person did, too.
When neither of you want to do something, mutual accountability works great.
Until later, when it didn’t.
Bring on the Night
It was good to be riding together again, especially because we were on what I recall as the absolute worst section of the race: Ephraim to Manti.
No, it wasn’t that the road was bad: it was chipseal of varying quality, just like most of the rest of the race. And no, it wasn’t the headwind, though that was pretty punishing.
It was the traffic.
We hit that section of the race pretty much at the end of the workday on a Friday, and there was a truck pulling a motorhome or boat or trailer full of ATVs going by us pretty much every three seconds. All of them heading toward whatever they were doing for the weekend, and about half of them feeling like it was their responsibility to honk their annoyance at our existence.
Add to that one of the harshest, most unforgiving rumblestrips I’ve ever ridden on, and it was a miserable hour of riding.
But we got through. And once we were through Manti, the traffic — and our nerves — settled down.
We ticked off the hours and the miles, watching our shadows get longer, and the sun work its way down.
At 6:45 — the race rules specified we needed to have lights and reflective vests from 7pm to 7am — we pulled over to set up lights. We were using identical NiteRider light setups: the NiteRider Pro 1800 Race. These are my favorite lights ever. They mount onto your helmet easily, are light enough to wear all night without weighing your head down (very important!), and — even on the low setting — give off an incredibly bright and even wash of light. And on the low setting (which is what we used for the whole night), a battery charge gives you a full six hours of light…a fact we would be confirming that night.
For taillights, we were using the NiteRider Stinger taillights. Besides being super bright, they’re possibly the easiest taillights in the world to mount. You just stretch the band around the seat post and attach it to the peg on the other side.
And yes, that band stretches far enough to go around the Shiv’s aero seatpost.
Then we put Amphipod reflective vests
Status Update
Racers were required to stop at the Richfield transition station, partly to make sure our SPOTs were working, partly to make sure everyone had working lights, and partly to see if the racers themselves were OK.
The Richfield transition station was also important for another reason: it meant we had gone 200 miles. And it wasn’t even (completely) dark yet.
Oh, and we had one more reason: to find out where we stood. As casually as I could, I asked the race official, “So, um, how many other solo riders have come through?”
“You’re the first.”
“We’re the first?”
“Yep.”
Well, that was cause for celebration. And a few extra minutes of rest.
“Could I get another Coke?” I asked Kerry, as we unapologetically loitered at the transition station for a few minutes.
“Uh, sorry. You’re out.”
“We’re out? Of Coke? Already?” I asked.
“You’ve kinda been drinking a lot of it,” Kerry said. And it was true. I hadn’t been keeping track; it just seemed like there was so much when we had loaded the truck that morning. I had sort of been drinking it as if there were no way we’d ever run out.
“So we still have lots of Red Bull, right?”
“Oh yeah, you’re fine for Red Bull.”
And with that, I commenced to set a new world record (unofficial) for most Red Bull consumed in a 28-hour period.
End of the Road. Trail. Whatever.
Night was coming on for real as we left Richfield, and by the time we got to the next transition — Sevier — it was completely dark. And with the dark came the sensation that we weren’t going anywhere. Sure, we were pedaling, and sure we could see the road going by, but we could no longer see big landmarks coming and going.
We weren’t riding to anywhere, anymore. We were just riding through the dark.
It was a nice night — we pulled on arm warmers, but didn’t need any other extra clothing for hours. We said goodbye to Scott and Kerry, who’d be trading the truck over to Blake and Zac for the next shift of crewing for us.
We, meanwhile, would be on our own for a little bit, since we were being directed on to a bike path. “Tell Zac and Blake to look for us once we get back on the road!” The Hammer called, and we set off.
Now, riding a time trial bike on a bike path, at night, is a weird experience. Unlike roads — which are generally designed to be as straight as possible — it seems to be a desirable feature of bike paths to have them wind and curve and undulate.
We tried riding for a mile or so in our aero bars, then gave up and sat up, riding side-by-side, very confident that no cyclists would be coming at us from the other direction.
To our right, we could see the highway. We wondered when we would be directed back on. We hoped that Blake and Zac wouldn’t be too far ahead of us — or too far behind. Either way could make it tricky for them to locate us again.
We kept riding for another couple miles, talking about how freaky of a section this was, and how slow riding a bike path was.
And then the bike path ended. Just stopped.
The Hammer and I looked at each other.
“So,” I said. “Where now?”
Which is where we’ll pick up on Monday.
PS: Yes, I said “Monday,” because The Hammer and I are headed out to Santa Rosa for Levi’s GranFondo tomorrow morning; I’ll be unlikely to be have time to write tomorrow and Friday.
Comment by Jim Tolar | 10.2.2013 | 8:49 am
Dang it! The last thing I thought yesterday after reading that installment was “I get the Hammer gets tired of doing all that solo riding and pulls over to wait”, and then I didn’t comment. Missed my chance to predict your future.
jt
Comment by wharton_crew | 10.2.2013 | 8:57 am
Monday? Monday?!? Please excuse me while I go chop some wood, run laps, or do something else to redirect my dismay!
Fatty, may I suggest a new approach to your future ride reports – REAL-TIME REPORTING! With voice recognition software, you could give us a nearly non-stop stream-of-conscious flow of information. We’d get to experience every thought, every pain, every song stuck in your head.
Think of it like the Truman Show, only on a bike.
Someone back me up here…
Comment by Bryan (not that one) | 10.2.2013 | 9:03 am
“It was a beautiful moment of bonding.” Hey, get a porta-potty! ;-)
You may have already thought of this but in case you haven’t… I think you both were carrying your phones. Zac and Blake (or whoever’s crewing for you next time) could use Find my iPhone to locate you via the phone’s GPS. Android and Windows Phone have similar capabilities.
I’ve used that before when my wife was coming home from a trip to make sure I had the kitchen cleaned up before she arrived. :-D
Comment by Rolf | 10.2.2013 | 9:10 am
Great story and race, can’t wait to hear more. Hope to see you at Levi’s ride. I’ll be wearing my FC jersey, look for me as you fly by me on Coleman Valley Road!
Comment by leroy | 10.2.2013 | 9:16 am
Enjoy the Fondo! It should seem like a pleasant, short commuter trip after your solo rides.
My dog wants to know if you can ask Levi to settle a bet. I say that, over time, owners and their dogs start to resemble each other. My dog disagrees and claims he is very insulted.
He might listen to Levi tho’ given his off-the-bike support for canines.
Comment by Geo | 10.2.2013 | 9:20 am
Bonding over spitting out food. Yep, that’s the definition of true love.
Comment by Tom in Albany | 10.2.2013 | 9:28 am
Have fun in Santa Rosa! Look forward to next week’s installments of, ‘As The Wheels Turn’ wherein we’ll learn where exactly Fatty and the Hammer missed the turn off the bikepath and still managed to re-unite with their support team – who will have bought Subway Subs to turn you on to real food again.
OK. I went over the line. No way most of that’s right…
Comment by Joe | 10.2.2013 | 9:38 am
Wow, that Stinger tail light is clever! I’ve been using their Solas and am happy with it (though it’s not as nice for anyone following me unless I remember to use the group ride setting), but I think I might grab one of the Stingers as a backup or in case I’m ever riding with someone who doesn’t have a tail light and needs a loaner.
Yep, it’s a fantastic, bright little light, easy to move from one bike to another. Which was very helpful to us as we switched bikes during the night a couple times.
One thing I really liked about the light that I didn’t mention in the main post is the way you turn it on, change the function, and turn it off. The light itself is the switch. You just tap it to turn it on, tap it again to make it blink, and press and hold to turn it off. It’s a super simple, light, easy-to-mount, easy-to-use rear blinky. Very very highly recommended. – FC
Comment by Scott | 10.2.2013 | 9:46 am
Monday? But it’s only Wednesday. With the GranFondo does that mean we’ll be taking a break to get the report on that? Or does this pick back up and we’ll get the GranFondo report down the road? Either way, this is fantastic. Keep up the great work.
Comment by Sara | 10.2.2013 | 10:09 am
My husband and I are celebrating our 20-year anniversary by riding in the Gran Fondo. Hope to catch a glimpse of you there! :)
Comment by New Zealand Ev | 10.2.2013 | 10:11 am
Great posts as always!! Have a fantastic time at Le is Gran Fondo!!!
Comment by Papa Bear | 10.2.2013 | 10:23 am
Oh, Fatty! We will miss your daily dose of inspiration, and await with baited breath (breath that smells like worms?) your return.
Have fun at the Fondo!
Comment by eclecticdeb | 10.2.2013 | 10:35 am
REALLY hoping I get a chance to meet you and The Hammer this weekend! Looking forward to the ride! And food. Lot’s and lot’s of food. And pie. Hopefully lot’s and lot’s of pie. And beer. Not too much (I’m a lightweight), but a taste.
Comment by Christina | 10.2.2013 | 10:37 am
DAMNIT, LEVI LEIPHEIMER! Schedule these things around these race reports!
What happened to the other guys?! Weren’t they ahead of you? Chugging along? Now I’m worried about them.
The other soloists were chugging along ahead of us, but we passed them shortly after we got on our TT bikes. I had assumed that they must have passed us while I was fixing flats, but apparently they hadn’t. – FC
Comment by Clydesteve | 10.2.2013 | 10:40 am
see you there, Fatty & Hammer and all other Gran Fondo Fatties!
@papa bear: Yes, baited breath smells like worms or Velveeta cheese balls (or herring, for deep sea fishing)
But bated breath is another thing. You must wait with it. http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/bated-breath.html
Comment by Jen | 10.2.2013 | 11:05 am
Is this an attempt at writing the worlds longest, most detailed race report?? These multi-post week(+)-long race reports are absurd.
I’m just telling the story I have to tell, taking the amount of time I have to tell it. It may be absurd, but I’m an absurd person, the length of this race was absurd, and my blog is absurd, so to me it seems like it’s a good fit. – FC
Comment by Jacob | 10.2.2013 | 11:07 am
You are mean.
Also, I bought a headlight/tail light set from NiteRider this summer and realized that there was no real way to tighten the tail light mount onto the seatpost. I e-mailed the company asking if I could just get a replacement nut (which is what I thought was missing) or at most a replacement mount. They sent me an entire headlight/tail light combo to replace it, meaning I have two perfectly functioning headlights, one tail light that is perfect and one that seems to stay on, but flops around a little when I go over bumps. I was really impressed with the customer service, although it did make me feel guilty getting more than I needed to just fix the problem.
Also, I found out that what was missing was not a nut, but actually a piece of threaded brass that’s actually stick deep inside the mount, meaning they would have had to replace the entire mount and that it couldn’t have just been me losing a small piece when I opened the package (which I had been worried about).
My experience with NiteRider has always been EXTREMELY positive. Their lights are great and their customer service is top-notch. I’m a big fan. – FC
Comment by JAT in Seattle | 10.2.2013 | 11:44 am
“Unlike roads — which are generally designed to be as straight as possible — it seems to be a desirable feature of bike paths to have them wind and curve and undulate.”
So true, and a major reason I’m so skeptical of the separated cycling facilities school of transportation cycling advocacy. The designers so often seem to think that think chicanes and twists and undulations are more “fun” and therefore desirable – while direct and predictable are far more desirable.
Can’t wait until the Monday installment!
Comment by NDE | 10.2.2013 | 11:59 am
You have the Garmin 510 were you not using the live track feature? If you had that on your crew would know where you were by using their cell phone to track you. Unless you had no cell service…
I didn’t want to use the live track feature, because turning on Bluetooth significantly reduces battery time, which was already a concern. Also, we were in some pretty remote areas without cel signal. – FC
Comment by GenghisKhan | 10.2.2013 | 12:15 pm
@Jacob, I’ve had good experience with NiteRider, too. Makes me a fan.
Yeah, lots of love for NiteRider here. Good to see companies getting the kudos they deserve! – FC
Comment by yannb | 10.2.2013 | 2:00 pm
Looks like quite a few of us will be at the fondo this weekend. Should we try and meet afterwards? I’ll wear my fatty jersey.
maybe have everyone hang out by one place afterwards? Like the beer tent? Or will there be a dedicated Team Fatty tent?
Comment by UpTheGrade SR, CA | 10.2.2013 | 2:31 pm
Looking forward to the Fondo this weekend, seems like lots of the Team Fatty community will be there, and its a great ride.
Anyone interested in a warm-up ride on Friday?
contact me: solutionx22 @ gmail dot com
Comment by cyclingjimbo | 10.2.2013 | 3:42 pm
Good luck to everyone this weekend at the GranFondo. Ride safe and have fun.
And Fatty, we’ll all be anxiously awaiting your nexxt Salt to Saint installments, whether they come before or after the GranFondo report. Either way, we get to read great write ups on your adventures.
Comment by Davidh-marin,ca | 10.2.2013 | 4:37 pm
FoF I can bring a tent, but fear we might not find space to set it up.(there’s a lot of vendor tents)
I hope to have a graphically appropriate Team Fatty Tent by next year’s Davis Ride (do have to work with Fatty on acquiring artwork-winter task)
Mr Nelson is usually found in the VIP Area, but one end or the other of the hay bales might work as a rendezvous spot, added bonus not far from the beer. Alternatively we could put Up the grade in Santa Rosa in charge of a restaurant spot to meet up at after the Festival starts closing down by 6pm.
Fatty:
Thank you for making this post last so long, and the added intermission this weekend is also a plus. Still honing my skills to insert an audio, aria into the comments section so we can have a proper ending. If unsuccessful, you might consider it from your end. While not a proper Aria I would suggest The Ride of the Valkyries
(I love the smell of Bacon in the morning!)
Last Advice; Weather.
Forecast is mid 70’s at the coast. Warmer inland. Bring you suit, take a picture, and raise money for WBR. You can do it!
Looking forward to seeing folks this weekend.
Comment by Pete | 10.2.2013 | 4:40 pm
Monday??? Really?? Love the stuff but you’re killing me here. If I wanted a soap opera I’d have rented the Dynasty DVD collection :D
Comment by Doug (way upstate NY) | 10.2.2013 | 7:03 pm
Have fun at Levi’s ride this weekend all FoF! Wish I could be there…..
Comment by eclecticdeb | 10.2.2013 | 9:04 pm
How many FoF will be there? From the comments, I count:
Davidh
Eclecticdeb +1
Up the Grade
Rolf
Sarah + Hubby
Clydesteve
Yannb
I wish we could get into VIP, but it looks like that is truly VIP (i.e. be awesome and raise lot’s of money).
Given my ETA on the course, I’m hoping there will be at least a sliver of pie left when I roll in. And a swig of beer.
Please tell me there is a pie tent. If so, that’s where I’ll be. :-)
Comment by JDBruin | 10.2.2013 | 9:35 pm
Will you have a special reading of the Monday post at Levi’s GF on Saturday for those of us who will be there? Like a poetry reading but with beer? Please consider that and I hope to say hello on Saturday.
Comment by Al Pastor | 10.2.2013 | 9:55 pm
I will not be at GF this weekend, but I will be riding nearby with FC gear on. Probably on Mt. Diablo. Should be a nice weekend.
Comment by Davidh-marin,ca | 10.2.2013 | 11:53 pm
@eclecticdeb+1
Count:
Dave and Rob Thompson Amy are you there too?
Dr Laura and Paul(?)
Leigh Ann
Mike Colon from Sacramento
SteveB
Mykillfrom SF (?)
Zeter(?)
And I can only hope, Ms. Angie G
Maybe we could get Fatty to lead us in a Team Fatty
style cheer at the start:
Without a moment’s hesitation, he yelled, with the emphasis and gusto that can come only with utter conviction,
“WE!”
“WANT!”
“PIE!“
If I can figure where to keep them I will bring pie.
Looking forward to the weekend.
Comment by AKChick | 10.3.2013 | 12:31 am
So sad I won’t be at Levi’s Gran Fondo. :( I hope he brings his fat tire bike for Fatty to try. :) I saw the carbon frame and forks built up at Chain Reaction (the LBS that created and sells them)and it feels like it weighs what my cross does (19lb) but I think it’s actually 26. It’s pretty sweet looking in person. I’d LOVE to read about Fatty and The Hammer riding their fat bikes in the winter and maybe entering some winter races for a whole new challenge (come up and ride some of the Iditarod trail maybe?). :)
Comment by Davidh-marin,ca | 10.3.2013 | 1:03 am
Next Year, Sasha. Come on down and we’ll give you the tour! and some Pie too.
Comment by Tom in Albany | 10.3.2013 | 7:53 am
Got my jersey. wore it yesterday for my work commute. Great stuff and I love the graphics. I’d forgotten about the hidden, “Eat to ride. Ride to eat.” graphic until I had gone to put it on. Funny!
Comment by Oka Bali | 10.3.2013 | 9:34 am
I Like this article, thank you for sharing
Comment by SteveB | 10.3.2013 | 9:35 am
Alas, I won’t be at the Fondo… have fun everyone!
Comment by Davidh-marin,ca | 10.3.2013 | 10:01 am
Sorry to hear that Steve. Hope next year we can make a real ‘get together’ of it. Cook some brats, have some pie, have a little mtb pre ride at Annadale. Mark your calendar, and have a great weekend.
Comment by Wife#1 | 10.3.2013 | 11:54 am
Okay Grand Fondo peeps, if you all can figure out the meet and greet location and it’s somewhere that a cooler with pie can be kept safe all day while David rides, I will add homemade pumpkin pie and shoofly pie to the offering.
And when I say homemade, that includes using the first pumpkin I have ever grown successfully in our garden. It’s gorgeous. If it tastes half as good as it looks, it’ll be one amazing pie.
Comment by Wife#2/3 | 10.3.2013 | 11:57 am
PS – I’ll be soccer momming it all day Satuday, hence the need to find a safe cooler location as I cannot be there to watch stuff for others. Sorry to miss you all but hope to see you at Davis next year! Course by then you may no longer recognize me. Tee hee. Note screen name change. :-)
Comment by UpTheGrade SR, CA | 10.3.2013 | 12:19 pm
@David H & Wife#.667, I will be helping set up at Finley tomorrow morning and will look for a suitable pie-stashing location. Tune in tomorrow afternoon.
Thanks to @cyclingjimbo I will be sporting a borrowed Fatty Jersey for the ride so I can proudly join with FoF in the fun.
Weather is looking perfect, maybe a little wind, but the views at the coast should be spectacular.
Comment by eclecticdeb | 10.3.2013 | 12:46 pm
@UpTheGrade — THANK YOU!
@Wife#2/3 — THANK YOU! (both for the pie and the soon-to-be-delivered borrowed FC jersey).
I’ll make one or two pies as well. I’ll also bring cutting stuff, paper plates, and forks. (Assuming I don’t just plant my face in the middle of the tin). Not sure how I’ll get them there in the morning (we’re riding from our hotel), but I’ll figure out something. You all may have to suffer through lemon bars or oatmeal raisin cookies.
Comment by DavisJason | 10.3.2013 | 2:10 pm
I will be there riding with my non-riding wife and mini-me in tow. Amanda might be persuaded to watch over the pie.
Comment by Davidh-marin,ca | 10.3.2013 | 2:22 pm
Yeah!!!!! Jason, Colin, and Amanda! Look forward to seeing you again.
Comment by DavisJason | 10.3.2013 | 2:33 pm
You too David, sorry Wife 2/3 won’t be there. Will one of the FOF juniors squad be riding?
Comment by Davidh-marin,ca | 10.3.2013 | 3:04 pm
OK @UpthegradeSR et. al.: Looks like we’re forming a forum!
Maybe we could ask Fatty to keep the pies inside the VIP velvet rope till someone gets back. I have two coolers to bring, some folding tables, the tent (no graphics yet) older jerseys to fly as flags, and any additional plates or forks we can find. By next year we should be a force to be reckoned with! Think Twin Six gear to sell, Fatty trading cards with stats on reverse (hello Topps are you reading this?) and we could host a Fatty/Levi Joust….for charity….and laughs!
Comment by Wife#.667 | 10.3.2013 | 7:49 pm
Thanks UpTheGrade! We like the decimal version much better – easier to adjust over time. You all will know I’m done when I’m Wife#.475 ;-) Course really, if you knew me, you’d call me Wife#666!
Test pumpkin pie in the over now. I promise I will not send a new recipe to you all until the family has approved in advance. Never made one from my own pumpkin before. The beauty of making pies for me, it’s one of the few things I don’t love to eat.
Now brats on the other hand, and pizza… mmmmm…..
Dammit now I’m hungry. @MattC et al – I am going to a Zombee lecture tonight. More soon. After 5 days I got 7 pupae out of the first 4 bees I collected! Yikes.
Comment by New Zealand EV | 10.3.2013 | 9:44 pm
Hope you all have a good time at the Levi’s Gran Fondo. Someday I will get back to the states to join in one of these rides. Hope you have good weather and enjoy!!!!
Comment by Wife#.667 | 10.3.2013 | 11:00 pm
Excellent reports from the family on the test pie so we’re cleared to make more. And the recipe made 2, count ‘em 2, so tomorrow I’ll make 2 rather than 1 for the Levi’s peeps, only you guys will get homemade vodka crust (I used store bought crust for the test batch tonight). And will still send one shoofly pie too. My kids could not believe they were eating a pumpkin pie from the one we had grown. Have to admit the process was pretty cool.
Comment by Diane | 10.3.2013 | 11:38 pm
@Wife #.667 – Wow, the homegrown pumpkin, and the pies look amazing!
Wish I were going to the Gran Fondo too, but I’m working : (
Maybe next year.
Hope everyone has a great time riding and hanging out at the FoF tent : )
Comment by cyclingjimbo | 10.4.2013 | 7:58 am
@Wife#0.667 – pies look marvelous; wish I could be there to enjoy them.
@Upthegrade, youi’ll have to have an extra piece of pie for me, and tell me how much I am missing.
Have fun everyone. Keep the rubber side down.
Comment by UpTheGrade SR, CA | 10.4.2013 | 8:03 am
Mmmmm….Pie. Can’t wait to try some, they look awesome!
Just need to ride 100+ miles to earn it first. (It’s a weight loss guilt thing)
Comment by Wife#.667 | 10.4.2013 | 11:00 am
Haha – the pie fest inspired my blog post today, though feel free to skip to about halfway down where I mention the Fatty peeps.
http://574days.com/2013/10/04/pumpkin-pie-oh-my/
Comment by Davidh-marin,ca | 10.4.2013 | 3:07 pm
THE FONDO IS ON!!!!!
Each year I hope we can have an even bigger team, and this year is no exception.
Picked up registration this morning, saw the Thompson’s; Dave, Amy, Rob and Dierdre(sp) the wonder dog. RobW from Idaho is down, and the incredible AngieG was manning the VIP table, which also covers tandems, so we were able to say hi without feeling we were holding up the line. This is a ’shout out’ to you Gregg and MattC…we need you here next year. According to Wife #0.667 The Noodle is tweeting about her attendance, so Fatty will have serious competition for attention.
Reports are that MoN Hammer and Fatty were at the Festa Dinner Thursday night, and weather today is awesome! Wind should die down Saturday, and expectation is mid 70’s by the time we reach the coast. Hope Elden takes time to take some tourist shots cause that;s the kind of day it will be.
Keep this participation up and who knows…maybe they’ll let the Fatty Group start with the Big Boys(and Girls) Sounds like a fundraising opportunity.
Look forward to seeing more of you Saturday.
Blue Calfee Tandem with two Old Slow Fat Guys!
Comment by MattC | 10.4.2013 | 3:18 pm
Yo David…wish I could be there…I may be over my 12 hr shifts/7 dys a week (back in June thru end of Sept) but we’ve picked up ANOTHER spacecraft, and my ‘day job’ is also insane just now…I’m still barely riding. They’d never have let me go just now…not that I’m in any kind of shape to ride…I feel just like I did back in Jan..starting over after the holidays (and those PR’s and overall placements I had on Strava after last Saturdays ride? That wasn’t me….any of it…it was a club ride and I was literally last in the paceline, unable to even take a pull after about mile 7 or 8…it took everything I had was to hold whatever wheel was in front of me…for 52 miles I held on like that, my HR was sitting in the high 160’s/low 170’s for a LONG time. But I finished w/ them…that was my goal. Maybe this weekend I can take ONE pull before going to the back and staying there.
Anyway, good luck and have fun up there all you Fatties…and BE SAFE!! (and have some pie for me…thankfully Jeannie made me a banana creme pie last weekend, still nibbling on that every night). I’ll have a piece tonight AND tomorrow night..will be just like I’m there with you!
Comment by P Gutty | 10.4.2013 | 3:55 pm
Hi all, i’m sure this isn’t really the place for this, but I seem to have inadvertently ordered a second short-sleeve men’s fatty jersey in a large. Anyone who wants one but didn’t get one in time, please let me know? paul DOT gutman AT gmail DOT com
Comment by Eclecticdeb | 10.4.2013 | 5:54 pm
Geez, I hope we get there. Left the South Bay at 1:30…still driving. Next year will get the man on the road earlier.
Oh, I have lemon bars. Kinda like pie ( there is a crust and filling) but in bite size form. Not quite sure how I’ll get it there tomorrow morning (we are riding from our hotel).
Comment by UpTheGrade SR, CA | 10.4.2013 | 6:26 pm
Regarding Post Fondo Pie… FoF and Head Fondo Honcho Greg Fisher says we can put a pie cooler in the staff room at the Finley center, (back entrance closest to the festival field). He said it would be better to get it there tonight, but if not, early in the morning. (The 7,500 participants signed up are going to crowd the joint pretty quickly from first light.)
Comment by Tes | 10.4.2013 | 7:38 pm
Wife#.667: Vodka crust?! Please share recipe!
FC: I’ve avoided the blog all week so I wouldn’t be left with a cliffhanger… You foiled my plan! Good luck tomorrow, can’t wait until Monday morn.
Comment by Eclecticdeb | 10.4.2013 | 10:15 pm
Bike sorted, clothes laid out. I’m as ready as I’ll ever be. Still not sure how /where I’ll drop off the lemon bars, depends on whether or not I can ride with them from the hotel.
Wife #.667: after all you went through, I’ve decided to go with a FCC “throwback” jersey. It’s just more comfortable. (I think this latest kit runs small…that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.)
Comment by Davidh-marin,ca | 10.4.2013 | 11:00 pm
Call to home: “Hey Honey, can you pick me up…….”
To quote The Noodle, MAJOR SUCKAGE
Will still be there with promised pie. Look for the tent and jerseys. As for excessive commenting? There’s going to be a break.
Hey! I heard that !
Comment by Eclecticdeb | 10.5.2013 | 7:44 am
@David: Holy Crap! I think I’m going to leave the lemon bars at the hotel. Don’t want to tempt fate be riding while trying to carry a big plastic bag. Hope to see you around 2:30 ish.
Comment by Wife#.667 | 10.5.2013 | 2:11 pm
Okay Levis GF peeps – pie, beer and gawd knows what else is now located behind the REI tents according to Amanda Burgess and my hubby. Look for the neon pink cast!
Comment by JDBruin | 10.5.2013 | 8:07 pm
Glad I found you folks and got a slice o’ pie. Outstanding flavor and the whip cream was a nice touch. Struggled up the hills with Justin, that’s a tough ride for us flat landers, longest to date for me and certainly the most vertical. Hope to make it to the Davis ride too. I’ll be back next year.
Comment by UpTheGrade SR, CA | 10.6.2013 | 9:03 am
The weather yesterday turned out to be absolutely perfect for a strenuos jaunt around west Sonoma county with Levi and 7,500 of his like-minded cycling buddies in Levi’s Gran Fondo. Got to meet some Friends-of-Fatty (FoF) along the route, and more back at the tent DavidH had set up litereally single-handedly (broken arm). After a hard ride, the Pumkin and Shofly pie at FoF tent was a delicious and very welcome recovery treat. It was great meeting everyone, and the super-famous, 2nd most popular and award-winning cycling blogger, and extremely gracious and down-to-earth Fatty and The Hammer stopped by to hang out with us. Very cool.
Of course Fatty told us all of the riveting details of the conclusion to his entralling Salt-to-Saint-Saga, which I can now reveal…just kidding, you’ll have to wait for Fatty to tell that, but I can say its not to be missed!
Comment by Wife#.667 | 10.6.2013 | 11:27 am
I have to say, I am feeling a little, hmmm…betrayed? Nope, way too strong. Perhaps crestfallen, disheartened, dispirited? TwinSix designs a kit in celebration of pie and brats for Fatty peeps and a bunch of you get to wear them together for the first time, and yet a scary amount of pie finds its way BACK to my house last night.
Really? Between all of you, and after cycling a bunch of hilly miles, you could only consume 2 pies? Are you trying to turn me back into Wife#1?! Don’t think I won’t re-post that scary singing viking lady image David found!
I tell you, this never would have happened at a mountain biking event. Now those people know how to eat. Curse all you whippet-lean roadies. And Noodle, Noodle, Noodle, Noodle… You can get a giant rice crispy treat from 7-11 but not take home one of the whole pies for later?
Okay, off to my local bike shop where I hope and trust my guys there will be happy to consume leftover pie in epic quantities.
*Note: if the pies sucked, you are all forgiven! But then you should tell me so I stop making them. Friends tell friends when their baking sucks. Really, I can take it. I’m oddly confident despite a diverse host of inadequacies.
Oh and sorry about no homemade vodka crust. David’s car meets bike adventure Friday afternoon made it so I did not start baking until about 10pm. At that point, I would not have made homemade crust for anyone. Well, maybe for Horner or Jensie. But you know, those guys can eat! :-)
I know at least one person asked, so here is the recipe for the best crust ever from Cook’s Illustrated (PDF):
http://574days.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/cooks-illustrated-vodka-pie-crust.pdf
Comment by eclecticdeb | 10.6.2013 | 7:18 pm
Wife #.667: I loved the pie, had 2 pieces (one of each). The DHBM especially liked the pumpkin. Unfortunately we didn’t have a way to transport back to the hotel (same reason we brought home a scary amount of lemon bars) — otherwise at least ONE pie would have been brought back to the South Bay.
I second UpTheGrade — it was awesome putting faces to screen names. Fatty was funny — introducing folks to The Hammer by their handles. I feel like a giddy teenager having managed to get a picture of me and Fatty together. It rivals the one I got of me and Levi.
NOODLE was there?? How did I miss that? Or maybe I didn’t, just didn’t know it was her????
We’ll be there next year — best ride ever (arguably the hardest organized 100K I’ve ever done).
Comment by Rabi | 10.6.2013 | 7:35 pm
This is a ridiculous compelling, inspiring read. Sounds like an amazing race.
Comment by Wife#.667 | 10.6.2013 | 8:32 pm
@eclecticdeb… Oh good! On an up note, one of the guys at our bike shop proposed to me when I dropped off the leftover pie. You know, so there’s that.
I assume he was in earnest, despite being half my age and probably not much more than half my weight (definitely a roadie). I told him I’d get back to him with a firm answer after he is able to confirm the spouse discount available at the bike shop. Hey if it’s good enough, David might be willing to share me on the first Thursday of every month.
I don’t know that the Noodle was at the Team Fatty tent, but I did see her showing off a giant rice crispy treat from a 7-11 on Twitter right after the ride, so she was there somewhere… not eating pie.
Glad you had a FAB ride! Harder probably made it better in some ways, though hopefully you were not plagued with all the mechanicals it seemed many had!
Comment by Doug (Way upstate NY) | 10.7.2013 | 4:42 am
@David, OK. Looks like we are going to need a story from you!
Comment by Clydesteve | 10.7.2013 | 5:01 pm
Oh, man – I should have brought my laptop so I would know where to find people. Not that I had the energy to do much looking, mind you – I was cooked by the end of 103.5 steep miles!
I met Up the Grade on the ride, and Lisa caught me, followed shortly by Fatty, past the 65- 100 – mile cutoff, but I never heard of the Fatty tent & pies – my loss, I am sure – Really, Wife#.667 – I could have been a pie-tender!
Bummed we missed you at the pie tent. But glad we got to ride together for a minute! – FC
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