08.18.2010 | 7:37 am
A Congratulatory Note from Fatty: HUGE props to Team Fatty Philly for winning the Team Time Trial award for the 2010 Philadelphia LiveStrong Challenge! And ultra-giant props to co-captain Philly Jenn for leading the charge. Is there a more awesome team captain anywhere? No. No there is not.
Fight Cancer, Win an Intense Spider 2
Let me make a few bold assertions here.
There is no bike company that is more thoroughly immersed in full suspension mountain biking than Intense Cycles.- No mountain bike company has more credibility in the full suspension arena than Intense Cycles.
- If you’ve ever wanted a full suspension mountain bike and didn’t check out Intense Cycles, you didn’t do your homework.
So, yeah: Intense Cycles is pretty much synonymous with being able to ride over rocks, roots and ledges without touching your brakes.
And the Spider 2 is Intense Cycles’ XC and lightweight trail bike. Check it out:
Cross-country? Definitely. All-mountain? Yep. Marathon? Sure.
The Spider 2 has the revolutionary VPP suspension platform that pedals better than any bike on the market, yet still soaks up bumps from tiny chatters to big hits.
You know what you’ve got here? You’ve got one of the most desirable bikes you can buy.
Now, picture this bike, paired with top-of-the-line 2011 Shimano M980 Series XTR, from brakes to drivetrain to wheels. You can build it up with the super-light Race version … or the burlier trail version.
Which do you want to go with? It’s your call. You can’t go wrong either way, honestly…Just like XTR was designed for 2011 … It’s rider tuned giving you the options to choose the right components for how you ride.
All of this is topped off with a 2011 Fox 32 Talas Fit Terralogic Fork with Kashima coating & PRO components for the stem, bar, and seatpost.
Oh my. We’re starting to drool a little bit, aren’t we?
Darn right we are.
You know how much this bike would cost, retail? More than $6000, that’s how much. And it would be worth it.
Easily.
But Shimano and Intense Cycles are partnering to give one away, in the name of helping Team Fatty in our fight against cancer.
Fight Cancer, Win a Dream Mountain Bike
As those of you who have entered these contests before know, all proceeds of the Team Fatty raffles go straight to LiveStrong, because the work they’re doing in helping people fight cancer made a big difference in Susan’s life, my life, and in the lives of many others I’ve met.
In other words, whether you win the bike or not, you’re doing something good and important.
So you can win in either of two ways:
- Donate money to my LiveStrong Challenge page. For every $5 you donate at my LiveStrong Challenge page between now and Friday, August 27, you get a virtual ticket, which could be the winner of the Intense Cycles Spider 2, built up with 2011 Shimano M980 Series XTR. Click here to donate now.
- Raise money in your own Team Fatty LiveStrong Challenge page. If you’re a member of Team Fatty, every $5.00 you raise on your own LiveStrong Challenge since the beginning of this year through Friday, August 27 earns you a ticket, too. So — obviously — now’s a great time for you to make a donation on your own page as well as to press friends and family to make a donation (You don’t have to tell them that they’re increasing your chances of winning a bike when they do). And if you aren’t a member of Team Fatty, now’s a great time for you to join and start raising money to fight cancer and win cool stuff for yourself.
By the way: if you win and live outside the US, we’ll still cover shipping, but you’re responsible for paying customs. Cool? Yeah, I thought so.
How Can You Join Team Fatty?
Luckily, it’s really, really easy to join Team Fatty.
- Click here to go to the Austin Team Fatty page.
- Click the “Join Our Team” link.
- Fill out the form. If you’re not planning to attend the event, join the virtual challenge to avoid the $50 registration fee.
- Start fundraising. You’ve got to raise a minimum of $250 to attend LiveStrong Challenge event.
Good Luck!
I love mountain biking, and I’m convinced that anyone who doesn’t has never ridden a really great mountain bike.
And believe me, this is a really great mountain bike. And most importantly, I love that we’re all doing this for one of the most important, unifying causes there is — fighting cancer.
Whether you win something or not, you’re still doing something really great for a cause that affects every one of us.
Thanks, and good luck!
Comments (42)
07.1.2010 | 1:01 pm
In some alternate universe, those of us with a fondness for empty calories rule the peloton, because — in this magical alternate universe — those empty calories make us faster. The complicated relationship we have — in this universe — with pastry simply doesn’t exist, because in that (much better) universe, the more donuts you eat, the faster you ride. The better you do in races.
And on July 17, I will spend a day in that universe.
Because that’s when I’ll be riding the Rotary Club of American Fork’s Tour de Donut — presented by One on One Marketing and powered by FatCyclist.com.
Yep, that’s right. I’m an official promoter of the event. And not just because I’m a beloved sports blog personality. I’m promoting it because I simply cannot imagine a more awesome combination of three things I love. Specifically:
- Riding: The Utah Tour de Donut is a three-lap road race around a seven-mile course in American Fork Utah. I like the fact that it’s not a long course. I like the fact that it’s not a steep course. I like the fact that if I get lost on the course I’ll probably still find my way home.
Eating: At the beginning of each of the three laps, you have the opportunity to eat as many donuts as you want (i.e., can stand). Each donut you eat knocks three minutes off your time. The winner each year has finished with a negative amount of time. I expect to do well in this race, but I do not expect to win. The guy to the right — Regan Fackrell (his real name) — is the returning champion, and frankly I don’t think I have a prayer, because Regan actually trains for the event, using techniques champion food-eating contest pros use. Still: I can try, darnit.- Cancer Fighting: In addition to local projects, this year — at my request — the Utah Tour de Donut will be benefitting LiveStrong.
I don’t know if I’ll ride the beach cruiser tandem with The Runner, ride solo, or ride a tandem with alternating twins. I see benefits with all possibilities. In any case, this is going to be a silly, fun, puketastic race that will also do a lot of good. I’m really excited to be part of it.
And I’d like you to be part of it with me.
How You Can Participate, Even If You’re Not a Local
The most awesome way you can be part of the Utah Tour de Donut is to come ride it with me. But taking a quick glance at my reader stats, I see I have quite a few more readers in Australia than I do in Utah, and — sadly — I expect most of you aren’t going to make the trip.
But you can still participate, through the medium of donating to the cause, in exchange for which I will do your bidding. Here’s how it will work:
- If you donate $10, I will loudly (as in “shouting at the top of my lungs”) proclaim — before eating a donut — that I am eating it on your behalf. You can do multiples of $10, too. If you want to get really specific about which lap you want me to eat your donut, just say. If I get way more donations for this, I will delegate some of the eating to The Runner, The Swimmer (we’re currently trying to persuade The Swimmer to ride tandem with The Runner) or to one of the twins. But I’ll still do the shouting.
- If you donate $50, I will write your name (or short phrase of your choosing), in a Sharpie color of your choosing on a visible place on my body or — if I run out of room on my body — jersey. So in a way, you’ll be riding with me. And I promise to try not to throw up on your name.
- $If you donate $100, I will write your name (or short phrase of your choosing) in Sharpie on a place of your choosing. Yes, that can include on the top of my head, on my (awesome) quads, or on my face. I have no shame.
To participate with me this way, go to the Tour de Donut site and click the Donate button down toward the bottom-left of the page. When you get your email receipt, forward it on to me (my email address is “fatty@fatcyclist.com”) with instructions on what to do.
If You ARE a Local, Come Ride With Me
If you do happen to live in the area, head on over to the Tour de Donut Registration Page, where you can get details about the race. Register as a family, solo, or a tandem. Or if you’d like to come join the fun but aren’t in the mood to compete, why don’t you volunteer?
And please, wear your Fat Cyclist jersey (or t-shirt, whatever) if you’ve got one. Trust me, this is one occasion where nobody’s going to question what it means.
Comments (65)
06.18.2010 | 6:49 am
A Note from Fatty: Thanks to everyone who helped raise money in the fight against cancer for a chance to win a SyCip bike outfitted with Shimano and PRO components! I am now collating all the fundraising reports and will select a winner and notify her / him this morning.
Meanwhile, you know what’s really, really great? We have raised $185,117 so far this year in the fight against cancer.
Team Fatty, you are amazing. Thank you for all the work you have done, and continue to do.
Remember back in February when we cleaned out my garage in order to help my sister Kellene’s son Dallas get a new kidney?
Well, I think it’s time I give you an update on what’s going on now and what will be going on soon.
(And relax, this is a happy post with lots of good news.)
July 29: A Big Day
Pretty much everyone in my family wanted to get tested to see if they could be a good match for donating a kidney to Dallas. When the results came back, though, it turns out that Kellene herself is the best match.
So the surgery happens on July 29, in NYC.
And which means that Dallas will now have had a kidney from each of his parents. Which seems fitting, and which I find really touching for some reason.
So How’s Dallas Doing?
Once Dallas got past all of the awfulness of the kidney failure itself and got on dialysis, his life returned to normal. Not that spending hours every day hooked up to a machine that acts as a kidney substitute is what you or I would call “normal,” but the fact is, he’s adapted and is not letting this slow him down. He went back to work and the rest of his life.
In fact, he took up crit racing.
Yeah, really. Check out his ride:
He texted me this pic with the caption “My first geared and brake-installed road bike ever!”
I sent him a Fat Cyclist jersey (had to be one of my used ones; I do not have a secret stash of new ones hidden away), and he promised to send me a photo of him riding across the Brooklyn Bridge.
But things aren’t exactly easy for Dallas. All the work the doctors did on him last February pretty much totaled his immune system, and Dallas has come down with — and is currently still fighting — a nasty case of Shingles, which is “a painful, blistering skin rash due to the varicella-zoster virus, the virus that causes chicken pox.“
Dallas’ case of Shingles was bad enough that he had to go to the hospital again for a while, though he’s back out now. And looking forward to getting back on his bike, which warms my heart.
And How About Kellene?
Kellene is prepping for her surgery by . . . doing the Ride the Rockies multi-day road event. In fact, she’s doing it right now with a group of friends registered as Team Fatty. Check them out at the beginning of day 1 (Kellene’s on the far left):
And at the summit of Molas Pass:
And yesterday, at mile 300:
Kellene’s been sending out nightly text message blasts during the event, too. From the first day:
So a hail storm just about froze us to death, but all is sunny and well now. First hundred completed. Time for a Diet Coke. A great day.
And from the second day:
A wonderful 70 mile ride in the sunshine. Long and rolling. Tomorrow is the beast. Red Mountain pass at 12,000 feet plus two others. We should be mostly dead. People love our Fatty jerseys.
And her report from part way through that day?
Kill me. Just climbed two passes over 11,000 feet each. The Madone loved it and I suffered! Wind is not my friend One more to go! First a Diet Coke is in order.
And then yesterday:
A beautiful day. 87 miles. Tomorrow will be another battle: uphill and over Wolf Creek. My but and neck are done!
Kellene’s reports make me either want to do this event really badly soon, or never. I’m still not sure which.
How Not to Give Up
Lara is one of the women riding with Kellene. On a training ride a week before the event, though, she took a fall. A bad one:
She got a concussion and was otherwise seriously banged up, but apparently one of her big concerns was that she had shredded her Team Fatty jersey.
Well, as it turns out, I did in fact happen to have one women’s jersey in her size. New even. So I guess I did have a secret jersey stash after all.
And Lara’s out there. Doing the ride.
I’m not sure what it is about Team Fatty that makes all of you so bullheaded.
But I like it.
PS: Team Fatty-Seattle, go out there and kick butt at the LiveStrong Challenge this weekend. I wish I was there!
PPS: Today’s my birthday. I’m 44. Allow me to nostalgically impress you:
- I remember before there was color TV
- I remember when there were 3 TV stations, and changing between them with a dial. (I also remember being confused what the UHF / VHF switch was for.)
- I remember when rotary phones were the norm
- I remember before microwave ovens
- I remember before VCRs
- I remember before car phones (it was a while before they became small enough to be carried around by hand)
- I remember before the Internet
- I remember before personal computers
- I remember music stores stocking vinyl, 8-track, and cassette of every album.
- I remember getting a Schwinn Stingray, brand new, for my birthday
Comments (123)
06.10.2010 | 8:29 am
Wow. Today’s headline is really long, isn’t it? That may have to do with today’s contest being so jam-packed with awesomeness that it’s hard to fit into a nice, concise headline.
The crazy thing is, as long as it is, the headline is still leaving some really amazing stuff out, including the ability to get a Shimano group you can’t even buy yet.
So let me lay out exactly what you can win in the contest that we’re starting right this second.
You Get to Choose the Bike
Imagine owning a bike that fits you perfectly, because it was made specifically for you – to fit the look you want, your body and your riding style, based on measurements and discussions you had with the builder.
And now go one step further and imagine that you have to choose whether to have a classic steel road bike or a classic cruiser hand-built for you.
SyCip (pronounced “see-sip”) Designs has been designing and building custom bikes like this since 1992. Each bike they build is customized for the lucky person who buys it.
Or, in this case, wins it.
For this contest, the winner gets to choose between a SyCip Custom Classic Roadster and a SyCip Custom Java Boy or Java Girl.
Go to the SyCip Flickr page to check out a lot of their bikes, but here’s a few pictures to whet your appetite. Check out a couple shots of the Roadster:
and here’s another one:
But suppose you’re looking for something for getting around town. For cruising, or maybe commuting. Or maybe — just maybe — for riding around for fun. Well, the Java Boy or Java Girl ought to fit your needs pretty darn nicely.
One top tube? Two? Curved up? Curved down? It’s your bike, so it’s your call.
Yeah, I think your SyCip custom-designed and hand-built bike is going to make the word “awesome” feel sad and inadequate.
The Bike Will Be Outrageously Outfitted with Shimano and PRO Components
Let’s not forget, the frame is only half of your custom bike equation. Since Team Fatty is Shimano-Powered, you can bet that your bike is going to be tricked out beyond belief with Shimano and PRO components.
If you go with the Roadster, your bike will come equipped with a complete set of Dura-Ace 7900 components, wheels, and pedals. And that’s just the beginning. Your Roadster will also be equipped with your choice of PRO handlebars, stems, posts, and accessories.
Yeah, my head’s spinning too. With jealousy.
But suppose you want the Java Boy or Java Girl? Well, Shimano’s got you covered for that, too. Covered, that is, with the yet-to-be-released Shimano Alfine 11-speed internal group.
The Alfine group highlights with a wide-range 11-speed internal hub, disc brakes, and a list of other jaw-dropping bike technology.
The Bike Will Be Hand-Painted By Spectrum Powder Works
Regardless of which bike you choose, it’s going to look the way you want it to, because one of the artists at Spectrum Powder Works is going to talk with you about colors you like and details you’d like to have on your bike, and then make your frame more beautiful than you would have ever imagined possible.
How You Can Win
Whichever bike you get is going to be simply too cool for words. You will try to use words to describe how cool your bike is, and you will be unable to. But that’s OK, because riding the bike is more fun than describing it.
In other words, I think this is a contest you might want to enter. But to do that, you’re going to need to do a little cancer fighting with me. Here are the ways you can donate.
-
By Raising Money at Your OWN Team Fatty LiveStrong Challenge Page: If you’re a member of Team Fatty, now’s a great time to donate money to your own LiveStrong Challenge, as well as to get others to donate to it. For every $5 you have raised in your LiveStrong Challenge by Midnight, June 17, you get another chance at the bike of your choice. And if you haven’t joined Team Fatty yet, click on one of the links below to join in the city of your choice:
- By Donating at my Seattle LiveStrong Challenge Page: For every $5 you donate at my LiveStrong Challenge page between now and Midnight of June 17, you get another row on my spreadsheet. That DOES NOT mean that if you want to donate $50, you’ve got to do ten $5.00 donations. I’m awesome at Excel and will be able to give you the correct number of chances automatically, based on how much you donate. Click here to donate now .
The contest ends Thursday, June 17 at Midnight, MDT. At that point I will choose a winner at random from my spreadsheet, using random.org to pick the lucky person. I will then fire off an email to the winner. Once I get acknowledgement, I’ll announce it on my blog, and you can begin the agonizing process of picking out which bike you want, how you want it customized, what you want the paint job to look like, and so forth.
Sweet, sweet agony.
By the way, since the Seattle Challenge is next week, I highly recommend those of you on Team Fatty-Seattle work your hearts out raising money for this contest.
Why This Matters
I hope you win this contest. I really, really do. But the fact is, what really matters in this contest — like all the contests we do here — is that we’re doing something in the fight against cancer.
And the truth is, this fight is going to be personal — in one way or another — for every single person, at some point in your life. You’ll either have cancer, or someone you care about will. It’s that widespread. And it’s that awful.
This is a chance for you to do something to fight back, while simultaneously getting a chance at winning an unbearably cool, custom-designed, hand-built, hand-painted, tricked-out bike.
At the very worst, your donation will have done something for someone’s fight against cancer. And it may just have won you a bike in the process.
Sounds like a pretty good deal to me.
So. Go sign up and raise money on your own Team Fatty LiveStrong Challenge page now, or go donate at mine.
Thanks, and good luck!
Comments (29)
06.3.2010 | 11:59 am
A Note from Fatty: Some people have been asking how my Alpine Loop Summit TT went. Well, I got rained out on the day I was supposed to go, but I did it this morning with a group of fast friends. My finish time was 55:56. Slower than my best time last year, but not a bad early-season effort! And I am tired. Check out how my friends did on the newly-formed Alpine Loop Time Trial page, read Grizzly Adam’s report here, Mark’s report here, and Rick Sunderlage’s (not his real name) report here.
I know you don’t need me to give you any incentive at all to join Team Fatty in our 2010 LiveStrong Challenge. You don’t need a reason beyond the important one, after all: you’re making a difference in people’s lives as they fight cancer.
But you know what? Sometimes a little incentive doesn’t hurt. You know, just to nudge you off that fence you were going to get around to getting off any moment now anyways.
Well, I think you’re going to like the nudge I’ve got to announce today.
Team Fatty Is Shimano-Powered
It’s no secret that Shimano has had UBFOF (Ultra-Best Friend of Fatty) status for a long time. They set up the incredible Orbea with Di2 components giveaway. They set up additional team-centric giveaways. They provided components for the Ibis giveaways.
This year, Shimano is going one step further:
They are providing components, wheels, and more and orchestrating the frames from three manufacturers as incentives for Team Fatty to fight cancer with everything we’ve got.
Without going into details about a very private person, let me just say that part of why Shimano is going completely overboard in helping us is because someone there has a loved one who is engaged in a battle with cancer incredibly similar to Susan’s. He and I talk pretty often, and his — and her — courage are phenomenal, as is his ferocity in this fight.
You fight hardest when it’s personal. And for Shimano, this is very personal indeed. I’m proud to fight alongside them, honoring their efforts to turn something hellish into something good.
So this year, Team Fatty is Shimano-Powered.
(photo of San Jose Team Fatty Captain MattC’s banner from Amgen Tour of California. Obviously, he had a little insider info!)
Three Dream Bikes, Three Manufacturers, Three Different Dreams
Here’s the thing. Not all of us have the same dream for our dream bikes. Some of us love mountain biking. Some of us love touring. Some of us love cruising around in town. Some of us love racing.
Well, I’m going to guess that — whatever your favorite kind of riding — you’re going to be blown away by at least one of the bikes in the fundraising contests this year.
But I’m not going to tell you what the bikes are, yet.
I will, however, tell you that they are all very different frames. And they are all from incredible manufacturers. And they all — naturally — are outfitted with top-of-the-line Shimano wheels and components, and PRO parts.
So when will I tell you what the bikes are? As we get closer to the contests, which will coincide with the LiveStrong challenges.
Bonus Awesomeness About the Bikes
Oh, this is probably worth mentioning: all of the bikes will have some version of the much-coveted Exclusivity Factor. Meaning that each of the bikes will, in one way or another, let you be the first — or only — kid on your block to have such a bike.
Have I teased you enough yet?
The First Contest Starts Next Week
So when will you find out what the first bike will be? Next week. In fact, one week from today.
And the cool thing is, you can get a jump on winning this first bike — and I’m going to drop a hint here by saying that no matter what kind of rider you are, you will want this bike — by joining Team Fatty now and starting your fundraising.
Join Team Fatty, Win Awesome Ridonculous Prizes
I’m going to do prize giveaways a little different this year than last year, to encourage folks to join Team Fatty and get others to donate to their own LiveStrong Challenge accounts. The idea being that the more people we get off the fence and involved in this fight, the better.
Here’s how it works.
First, you need to join Team Fatty, in any of the four cities:
Which city should you pick? Well, if you’re close to one of the cities and think you can make it to the event, pick that one. Otherwise, it honestly doesn’t matter which city you pick, because you’re going to sign up as a “Virtual Participant.”
Let me make it clear: you don’t need to attend one of the events to be part of Team Fatty. When you sign up, just sign up as a Virtual Participant. And the cool thing about being a Virtual Participant is that It doesn’t cost anything to sign up as a virtual participant.
Second, you need to start raising money. Get your friends and family and coworkers to go to your fundraising page and start donating. Explain to them why the fight against cancer matters to you. Make it personal. Chances are, you won’t have to look very far to find someone who is either fighting or has fought cancer.
Third, cross your fingers and hope for the best. When I do the drawing for the bikes, I’ll assign a ticket number to you for each $5 you’ve raised. So if you raise $500 right now you’ll get 100 virtual tickets in the hat for each of the three bike drawings.
Can you see how it’s a good idea to sign up now and raise money early? Yeah, I thought so.
Q&A
If you’ve got questions about this, ask in comments. I’ll either answer inline, or if the question seems especially relevant or common, I’ll move it up into this post.
I can think of a few questions you might have, so I’ll get started.
Q. What if I’ve already joined Team Fatty and raised money? Does that count toward the Shimano giveaways?
A. It sure does. And thank you!
Q. What if I don’t want to join Team Fatty. Is there a way for me to still win the bikes?
A. Yes, you’ll also be able to enter the drawing by donating to my personal fundraising pages.
Q. Do I need to have a Team Fatty jersey to be in Team Fatty?
A. No, you don’t. The 2010 Team Fatty jersey’s are all sold out and have been for some time. There won’t be a new order coming in, either. The fact is, while it’s cool to have the jersey, being part of Team Fatty isn’t at all about the look. It’s about the fight.
The pre-order for 2011 jerseys will be sometime fairly soon, by the way.
Q. Which LiveStrong Challenge events are you going to, Fatty?
A. My day job has me crazy-busy right now, and I’m wanting to do more with my family with what vacation days I have, so I won’t be able to go to all four LiveStrong Challenges. My current plan — subject to change — is to go to the Philadelphia and Austin Challenges, as well as the NYC Marathon.
Q. I want to join Team Fatty and raise money toward attending the NYC Marathon. What do I need to do?
A. Just sign up with any of the four cities right now; we’ll get your fundraising applied to the NYC Marathon a little later, once we’ve got that set up. And meanwhile, your fundraising may net you the bike of your dreams!
Sign up now. Start fundraising now. At the very least, your work will have helped in the fight against cancer.
And it’s entirely possible you might win one of three dream bikes.
Comments (40)
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