11.9.2009 | 8:03 am
I know I said I would be back Tuesday, but I just wanted to post three important items that occurred over the weekend.
First, I became officially recognized as the Best (Freaking) Blog in Utah, according to the Social Media Club of SLC.
OK, actually, I was one of several blogs to receive this award, but I have a difficult time sharing glory, and I have an even more difficult time understanding how multiple blogs can share an exclusive superlative. So I’m going to persist in thinking of myself as the best, as opposed to among the best.
Also, my head is going to swell up and explode, due to self-congratulatory self-importance. Better stand back.
Big thanks to my friend Jeff Hadfield, who — as he did with the Bloggie — accepted the award on my behalf. I would have been there myself, but I was busy driving to Fruita for a weekend of mountain biking with the Core Team. I believe I was somewhere between Price and Green River when Jeff accepted the award.
Second, Movember is going just swimmingly for me. Check out my progress on my “Tallahassee” Mo, as of my first shave of the month last night:
Yeah, I think this one’s a keeper.
Here’s another shot I took of myself, trying to simultaneously get a good look at the tricky-to-shave bottom part of the mo, smile, and see whether I was pointing the camera correctly:
All ready to be institutionalized.
If you would like to support my efforts in growing an outrageously awesome mo while raising money and awareness for the fight against cancer, do me a favor and donate here.
Or, if you’re thinking of joining the Movember movement yourself, why don’t you join Team Fatty? As you can see, I’ve grown this much mo in just one week. Surely you still have have plenty of time in Movember to grow your own.
Third, last weekend was the annual Core Team’s Fall Moab event. Which we held in Fruita, Colorado this year. I took hours and hours of helmetcam video, which will take hours and hours and hours to convert and edit down to something you’ll want to watch.
As a teaser, though, here’s an unretouched photo from the trip.
The video should be interesting, no?
Comments (74)
10.28.2009 | 7:39 am
After two days of hanging out, schmoozing, and generally doing my absolute best to counteract all the work I’ve done to become fit these past few months, it was finally time for the LiveStrong Challenge ride.
As befits an award-winning, beloved internet cycling superstar celebrity blogger, I arrived at the start line with just moments to spare, and pushed through self-importantly.
Then I acted like I had been there for hours.
Luckily, I was not the last guy to arrive. Lance arrived and got to the start line a few minutes after I did.
That’s Chris Brewer in the green shirt in the background, by the way. An incredibly terrific guy and survivor who’s made the fight against cancer his life’s mission.
Plans, Changed
I had made no secret of my plans for the LiveStrong Challenge ride. Using the front position Team Fatty had earned to maximum advantage, I’d go out hard, doing my absolute best to hang with the fast guys for as long as possible. Then, once they dropped me (and I knew they would drop me), I’d try to finish as fast as I could and get to the finish line. After that, I’d greet and thank Team Fatty as they crossed the line.
Well, that plan changed before the ride ever started.
Lance’s group of fast guys were positioned ahead of us. And then, to my surprise, they took off, while officials stopped us from going.
I guess Lance needed some “alone” time.
We didn’t get to leave the starting gate until about six minutes after Lance’s group did. And it seemed, um, unlikely that I would be able to make up six minutes on Lance and his group of fast friends.
So I decided that I’d make the second part of my plan the only part of my plan: Finish the ride quickly and hang out with Team Fatty.
Toward that end, I figured there was no special reason for me to ride the 90-mile course. I’d finish the 65-mile course sooner and see more people (Yeah, I could have applied that logic to its extreme and only done the 20-mile course, but I wanted to get a bigger ride in than that.)
The Ride
Once the ride did start, I did my absolute best to get to the finish line fast. MattC — Team Fatty San Jose Co-Captain — did an incredible job being my leadout guy. He completely demolished himself bridging me to a group of eight guys who were riding a very fast pace, after which he said, “That’s it for me,” and settled in to enjoy the rest of the ride.
So for the next few miles, I buried myself, trying to hang with this group.
The group quickly shrunk. Before long, it was down to just three of us, with the same guy pulling the whole time. I wouldn’t be surprised if that guy managed to bridge.
As for me, I just couldn’t stick at that pace, and finally dropped off.
And then, for the next ten miles or so, I time trialed. While there were lots of people out on the course — many people start the ride on their own, without bothering about an official start — I’m pretty sure that for about the first several miles, I was the third-placed person who actually started when the gun went off (i.e., not with Lance’s group, and not with the self-starters.)
Then a group wearing Mellow Johnnies jerseys caught and passed me, letting me know my seatbag was dangling. I stopped and fixed it, at which point TC and MattC caught me and we rode together for a while.
But I was on a mission, so before long I gapped them and continued on.
65 miles can go by pretty fast when you’re going hard, and there aren’t many hills (in the 65-mile course, only one sticks out in my mind as being even remotely significant). Two bottles of water and three packets of Shot Bloks were all I needed for this kind of distance, so I didn’t stop at any of the aid stations. I just blew through and kept working toward the finish line.
Kellene, meanwhile, was cruising the same course, taking pictures with people and having fun. Here she is with Delvis:
Yes, she is a little creeped out.
The Finish Line
I finished my ride in three-ish hours. I think. I retrieved my bag, changed into comfortable clothes, went and grabbed some food and drinks, did a couple interviews (yes, really), and then got back to the finish line, just in time to see Lance finish the 90 mile course.
At that point, I made myself a fixture, looking for anyone in a Fat Cyclist jersey crossing the line, and congratulating them and thanking them for what they’ve done.
Kellene wasn’t far at all behind me, in spite of the fact that she had done the ride the way it’s meant to be ridden: as a big ol’ party.
And after that, I just hung out an enjoyed myself, loving the fact that I have the biggest, most fundraisingest, friendliest, and generally awesomest team that has ever kicked butt in all four LiveStrong challenges.
And that’s not subjective. That’s quantifiable.
Here are a few of the photos. There’s many more (post them in comments, Team Fatty!) that others took:
I stayed right to the end — tired, but not wanting to miss a single Team Fatty member who had stuck it out to the finish.
Eventually, the last rider came through. Those of us who remained made an aisle of people and tossed yellow rose petals all over him as he came through.
The poor guy — not a Team Fatty member — was totally cooked, though, and I don’t think he enjoyed the attention right then.
Then, with the finish line to ourselves, Kellene and I tried getting in a jump pose.
Not a single one of them worked.
I went back to the Ride for the Roses staging area to pick up my stuff and head back to the hotel, where I said bye to Bill — who met me at the airport and was practically everywhere during the event: an incredible volunteer! — and Fred, who took flawless care of hundreds of bikes and loaned me his very nice Cervelo road bike for the Challenge ride itself.
Seriously, the LAF staff, volunteers, and Team Fatty are some of the best, friendliest, hardworkingest people I have ever met. And they made this an extraordinary weekend.
I’ll be back in 2010. And I have a feeling Team Fatty will be bigger and more awesome than ever.
Comments (54)
10.22.2009 | 7:37 am
I will be riding the Austin LiveStrong Challenge and Ride for the Roses this weekend. I talked a little bit about what we’ve accomplished in terms of fundraising yesterday, but I have not yet talked about a very, very important fact about this event:
My sister Kellene will be coming to Austin with me, as my guest.
Yes, the very same Kellene who:
- Has fallen off a cliff while mountain biking, but who still loves mountain biking.
- Has perfectly illustrated the difference between how men and women approach mountain biking road trips.
- Has put her own life on hold I don’t even know how many times to come to my house and take care of me and my family.
- Is able to persuade me to do anything. Including her famous “jump for the camera” poses. Note that she has the same expression in both these photos:
Kellene, I should add, is a professional photographer for her day job. So photos from the trip are probably going to be a step or twelve above the ones you usually get from me. And also, they’re less likely to be taken with my phone.
I should also point out that of all five of the Nelson kids, Kellene is tied for most outgoing. (I believe I am in fourth place.)
So don’t be too surprised if I bring back a “jump for the camera” photo of Lance and me.
The Ride
My ride plan for the LiveStrong Challenge is really very simple: GO HARD. Yes, I am going to treat it like a Charity Race. If I can bridge up to the Armstrong Group, I will. And I will hang with them until I cannot, after which I will finish the ride as fast as I can.
If you are a fast Team Fatty member, please work with me. Help me get to that front group and hang with them as long as possible.
Then, once I finish the ride, I plan to stick around at the finish line and thank / hang out with Team Fatty members who finish after me (as well as anyone who finishes before I do and is willing to stick around).
I promise I will be very sweaty and stinky.
And grateful.
Comments (60)
10.13.2009 | 12:17 pm
“What,” I sometimes ask myself, “would be the most insanely cool contest I could ever come up with?”
Give away a bike? Done that. A lot.
Give away a trip? Done that, too.
Take a winner on an awesome ride of their choosing? Hmmm. Haven’t done that, though it’s certainly a good idea.
But what if I gave away an Ibis? And what if you got to choose what kind of bike you win? It could be a road bike (the Silk SL), a mountain bike (a Mojo or Tranny), or a cyclocross bike (the Hakkalugi).
And what if it were spec’d to the nines, whichever way you go?
And what if I hand-delivered – along with the Ibis Honcho and Mountain Bike Hall-of-Famer Scot Nicol (aka Chuck Ibis) — that new bike to you at some awesome cycling destination that you get to pick (but which Chuck and I get veto power over)?
And then what if we all went on a ride together?
And then, just for a little air of extra mystery, what if a cycling legend — whom I will not name at this time, but will announce this Thursday — joined us for that ride?
Would that kick butt?
Why yes, I do believe it would kick butt. In fact, I’m going to go out on a limb and say that it would kick mucho butt indeed.
Well, that’s the next big Fat Cyclist fundraising contest, with – as usual – all money going straight to the Lance Armstrong Foundation.
And I think this is one you’re going to want to enter.
Let’s Think About the Bikes for a Moment
Usually – by which I mean “always,” as far as I know – when someone does a bike giveaway, they have a certain bike in mind. You either win it, or you don’t. If you’re a roadie, maybe a new MTB doesn’t really trip your breaker. Or vice-versa. Or maybe as a hardcore cyclocross guy you’ve been wondering when someone’s going to give away anything but the lowest of the low end cyclocross bikes.
Well, this is the contest of your dreams, buckaroo. Consider the following hotness, if you will, and begin to obsess about which you would choose if you win (click any of the photos to see them up close and personal):
MTB: The Ibis Mojo SL
The Mojo may be the most beautiful mountain bike in the world, and now with the SL, it’s seriously light, too. And still practically bombproof. Though I do not recommend detonating explosives around it, because really, what would that accomplish?
If you don’t know about the Mojo, you will learn in the coming days. If you do know about it, well, we don’t need to say any more, it’s a Mojo SL.
I think I saw about 10 of these at the 24 Hours of Moab. All the riders looked happy. And strong. And not fatigued. And I think they were better looking than the other riders.
Road: The Ibis Silk SL
I ride and love an Ibis Silk SL, which I currently have built as a 13-pound road singlespeed. Yeah. It climbs pretty well. Built as a regular ol’ road bike, you can get it to around 15 pounds, easy. And it flies. Except not literally. Cuz that would be scary, and not safe.
We raffled one of these off last year, and our winner – Matt Kreger — has done it right, riding in Livestrong rides, centuries and just commuting to his job.
Although in typical Ibis fashion this bike is understated and classy, it’s sexy as all get-out. Choose from clear gloss – showing off the carbon weave – or British Racing Green or a rich Red. Me, I’d go with the green, if I got to pick. Again.
MTB: The Ibis Tranny
It’s a carbon fiber hardtail. It’s a geared bike. It’s a single speed. It’s a travel bike.
It’s all of the above. And so much more. It’s the Ibis Tranny.
It’s probably the coolest bike you’re never heard about. But you’re going to hear more in the days ahead.
Cross: the Ibis Hakkalügi
This is the best-named bike in the entire world. The Hakkalügi used to be a steel bike, but the elves at Ibis magically changed it to a carbon frame. For you purists out there, sorry. For you weight weenies out there, you’re welcome. We used to say “Steel is real.” Now we say “Steel is real…heavy.”
Chuck says if the winner chooses this bike, he’s got some amazing rides-part dirt, part paved-that will be unlike any ride you’ve ever done. Unless you regularly ride with Chuck that is, then it will be the same old same old.
I want this bike so bad.
Where Would You Go?
If I were going to pick somewhere in the U.S. to go ride, I think I’d pick somewhere in Colorado. Crested Butte, maybe. I haven’t ridden there, and I hear it’s incredible.
Chuck won’t shut up about it.
But Chuck’s lips keep flapping and then he starts thinking maybe he’d like to go riding at Thunder Mountain.
Or in Sonoma County (his backyard).
Or maybe you’d like to go to Moab. You could do worse than go MTBing there with a couple guys who have been dozens and dozens of times.
Or maybe you’d want to go somewhere else. Somewhere I haven’t thought of, but which would be really awesome.
It’s fun to think about, isn’t it? And I suspect it’ll be fun to do, as well.
A Little Bit About the Mystery Person
I’m not telling you who the mystery cycling icon is strictly because I’m coy and don’t want to give everything away quite yet. But I will tell you this. If you think it’s Lance Armstrong, you’re wrong. However, it is someone who is a beloved former pro road cyclist with a resume that is pretty darn stratospheric, and you will be over the moon to meet and ride with him. Yes, that’s a clue: our mystery rider is a male. Which rules out Jeannie Longo.
I’ll say who he is this Thursday.
Let’s Recap
- The winner gets an Ibis bike of his or her choice, color and size is your choice.
- We’ll fly you to the best possible riding spot in the US, according to you (and ratified by us).
- You’ll get to ride with Chuck, Fatty and a Mystery Hottie.
Wow. I mean, really. Wow.
The Details
Entering this contest is easy. And here are the rules.
- The contest begins now (October 13) and goes through Midnight (MDT) October 20.
- For every $5.00 you donate at this LiveStrong Challenge Page, you get a chance at winning this incredible bike / trip / ride with Chuck and Fatty and the Mystery Man. Just click here to donate, make your donation in multiples of $5.00, and you’re automatically entered.
- If you are a member of Team Fatty Austin, every $5.00 you raise on your OWN LiveStrong Challenge page between now and the end of October 20 gets you a chance at this prize.
- The date of the trip depends on finding a day that works with your schedule, my schedule, Chuck’s schedule, and the Mystery Man’s schedule.
- Where we go: This has to be somewhere in the U.S., with reasonable access to an airport. And Chuck, the Mystery Rider, and I seriously do have veto power. If we don’t want to go somewhere, we won’t. But if you can make a case for mountain biking in Ohio, more power to you. We’ll listen.
- You can select any Ibis bike, except the Mojo HD.
- We’ll box the bike after the ride and ship it by UPS to you. If you want to get it sooner than we’re willing to pay, or if you want to fly it home with you, you’ll need to cover those costs.
- If you live outside the contintental US and win the bike, it is your responsibility to get into the US; we’ll fly you the rest of the way.
- Customs and taxes for the bike are your own problem.
- The prize for this contest is exactly the things listed here. If it’s not explicitly mentioned, it’s not part of the prize. In other words, your hotel is your own problem. As are your meals. Although we might foot the bill for burritos afterward. Because we’re like that.
Why This Matters
Why are we doing this monster giveaway? Well, we have reasons.
- Ibis is a dangerously cool company, and loves to do things creatively and differently. I like that.
- Chuck Ibis is – in addition to being a mad genius – an extremely good guy.
- Everyone hates cancer, and when a really cool people get together – Ibis, the Lance Armstrong Foundation, the Mystery Cyclist whom you are really really really going to want to meet – get together, we can do more in the fight than any of us can alone.
So, go donate now. This is the big one. The Grand Finale. Seriously. Go.
Comments (85)
10.12.2009 | 11:46 am
A Note from Fatty: Tomorrow I’m kicking off a huge new contest to raise money for the Lance Armstrong Foundation. As it often does, this one involves a bike, but this time it involves a lot more than a bike. Check back tomorrow for details!
I had good intentions. I was going to liveblog and post pictures frequently and everything.
Really, I was.
But maybe it’s the sign of a good race that once 24 Hours of Moab began, I just wanted to ride hard during my laps, relax afterward, and not spend my time typing.
Sorry.
I’ll try to make it up to you now.
The Most Mellow Pre-Race Jitters, Ever
Originally, Team Fatty was going to be Me, Kenny, Rick Sunderlage (not his real name), and Brad. Brad, however, got so deeply immersed in designing a new flavor of CarboRocket (hint: do you like nachos?) that he had to step down. Taking his place was Nick Rico, a co-worker of Rick’s who’s been riding mountain bikes — he’s been riding single speed, but 24 Hours of Moab would be his first ride ever with a rigid fork — for only one year. I’ve ridden with Nick several times though, and knew he’d be plenty fast — he’s been a strong roadie for years and years.
Everyone, meet Nick, from a picture I took when he was not expecting me to:
From this picture, you may deduce a number of things:
- Nick has the longest hair of anyone on our team: 1/4″. Which makes me wonder: if you are a guy and you ride enough, are you bound to eventually either get a buzz-cut or shave your head entirely? I sure noticed a lot of guys at this race whose hair — or lack thereof — was dictated by suitability and comfort for wearing a helmet.
- Nick has the legs for this kind of ride.
- My nickname for Nick — Guns McCoy — is a good one.
Oh, and while we’re at it, let’s go ahead and introduce everyone else on the team. Here’s Kenny, wearing his Daisy Dukes, which he would in fact wear for the first lap of the race.
Kenny — foolishly, I think — volunteered to be the first rider on our team, which means he was volunteering to do the run in the Le Mans-style start. More on that in a moment.
And yeah, that photo’s about 3/4″ away from being NSFW.
Rick Sunderlage (not his real name) was the second racer in the Team Fatty lineup. Rick may be the single most competitive person I have ever met. He contests every summit. Every sprint. Which makes him a good person to have on your team:
Oh, and while it may appear in this photo that his legs are 18′ long, rest assured that in real life they are no longer than 16′.
And here’s me, showing off the team jersey, with my bib pinned on.
By the way, that green shirt I’m wearing is my “Going to Moab” shirt. For the past three or four years, I have worn that shirt every time I travel to Moab. Makes me easier to recognize. No, I don’t have a special reason. Some traditions don’t need a reason.
I was nervous for the race — it had been at least ten years since I had raced the 24 Hours of Moab, and I couldn’t really remember the course. Plus, everyone kept looking at us like we were nuts when we said we were racing in the Singlespeed Rigid category.
But it was a slow-burn kind of nervous, because even after the race began, I had a couple hours before it was my turn.
So meanwhile, I sat in my camp chair, enjoying the perfect weather — sunny, a slight breeze, and around 74 degrees.
Every time I thought about the fact that I would not be doing the run at the beginning of the race sent a little wave of relief through my mind.
The run was Kenny’s problem.
The Beginning of the Race
It’s weird that the most spectacular moment of the 24 Hours of Moab doesn’t happen on a bike at all. In order to alleviate the massive traffic jam that 365 teams would cause trying to get to the singletrack funnel at the start gun, the race has a Le Mans-style start, which means that someone from all 365 teams has to line up and run about 75 yards (guessing here — I’m terrible at judging open distances) to a tree, go around it, and then run to pick up their bike and go.
Here’s a small sample of folks waiting at the line.
Some people wear outrageous costumes, in keeping with the party atmosphere of the race. There was a team that wore wrestling masks, there was a team that wore matching pink tutus and wigs, and there was this guy, who I thought of as “The Guy Who Puts ‘Glad’ in “Gladiator.”
When the gun goes off, the chaos and dust from all the running is awesome.
I love that for the first several seconds, The Gladiator actually was out front of everyone. I love even more that the next morning, while I was out on my final lap wearing tights, a base layer and a jacket, I came across this guy also riding a lap…and he was still wearing this outfit. Although his mohawk had wilted considerably by then.
Oh, I’m sad to say that amidst the chaos, I could not find and photograph Kenny running in his Daisy Dukes.
My First Lap
Like I have mentioned, it had been a long time since I had raced — or otherwise ridden — the Behind the Rocks trail in Moab, and I’ve never ridden it on a single speed, much less a fully rigid single.
However long it’s been, it was plenty of time for me to forget how technical the course is. There’s lots of sand. There are some serious ledges — some you’ve got to climb, some you’ve got to descend — and there are a number of places where all but the most accomplished riders (hint: not me) had to dismount and portage their bikes down and up what feel like sandy cliffs.
That said, I had a ball. I rode right at my limit, but managed to not go past it and blow up. I managed a number of tricky rocky sections I saw others walking. And my big wheels and soft tires — at 22psi — made it so I was able to climb and descend through the sandy sections that others were getting bogged down in.
I didn’t crash, I didn’t get passed a lot, and I did pass a lot of people. Still, since I wasn’t wearing a watch or bike computer, I had no idea whether I was doing the team proud or ruining our shot at the podium.
I finished my first lap, handed the team baton over to the exchange official, swiped my RFID card to make it official, Nick swiped his card and got the baton from the official (this has to all be done in the correct order, and became increasingly difficult for me to remember as the race went on), and took off.
My first lap took 1:15:47 — about two and a half minutes slower than Kenny’s first lap which included a two minute bunch mass run. And I was just over a minute slower than Rick’s first lap. I couldn’t decide whether to be happy or sad about that result. On one hand, I really had put everything into that lap; I couldn’t have done it better or faster. On the other hand, I was slower than my teammates. On still yet another hand, I wasn’t a lot slower, and the race was young.
Taking all this into account, I decided to be moderately pleased with myself, and puffed out my chest. Moderately.
Here’s me, finishing up lap #1. Thanks for taking and sending me the photo, KanyonKris!
Oh, and sorry I flipped you off while you were taking the shot.
Second Lap: Cold and Dark and Fun
With our team doing about 1:15 laps, my second lap wouldn’t begin ’til 7:39, and it’s fully dark by then. I knew I’d be slower — fatigue from the first lap and my fear of the technical course would see to that. Rick came in — his lap partially in the dark — not much slower than his first lap, though — 1:20 versus 1:14.
And then something unexpected happened: I had a wonderful time. It had been years — since before the twins were born — since I’ve gone night riding, and I had completely forgotten how different and exciting it can be. I knew I could set my Princeton Tec Switchback 3 lights on high beam for the entire ride — they’ll go for six hours at high, and I only needed an hour and a half or so.
When you’re riding at night, your universe becomes very strange. On one hand, the giant vistas Moab is famous for disappear; all you can see is what your lights show you. On the other hand, if you look up, you see the stars — and away from the tent city on a clear night (which it was) you could really see the stars. I think I took almost an entire second to appreciate the stars during my night laps.
Ledges look steeper. The distant trail becomes invisible and therefore unimportant.
In short, riding at night has an immediacy that takes some getting used to, but is a lot of fun.
Full disclosure here: Princeton Tec outfitted Team Fatty with Switchback 3’s for free, so have your grain of salt if you like. But the fact is these lights are terrific. They were trouble free, burn for a long, long time, cast a big, even light pattern, and can be charged in a car or through AC power. I was very happy with them, and everyone else on Team Fatty had a similar experience.
I finished my lap feeling a weird mixture of elation and exhaustion. While my legs and lungs hurt, I had just had 1:26 (about ten minutes slower than my first lap, which is reasonable) of fun. Yes, I had fun, during a race. Incredible!
Third Lap: Same as the Second
Except for the fact that it started at 1:24 in the morning and was a lot colder outside, my third lap was nearly indistinguishable from my second. The time difference? Nine seconds slower.
I wasn’t the fastest guy on the team (that’s definitely Kenny), but I think I could now lay claim to being the most consistent.
I Love Campers
Until this race, I have never used a camper. I am now a convert. Being able to change in a warm, well-lit, enclosed place, then being able to lay down on what amounts to a couch for a couple hours is wonderful.
Thanks for the loan, Ricky M. And good luck cleaning up your camper. That thing is a mess.
Fourth Lap: Where Am I?
My fourth lap started at 7:31 in the morning, by which time it’s fully light. By then, I had gotten so used to riding this course in the dark that I was startled at what the trail looks like in broad daylight.
There’s something about having the sun come up after you’ve been up riding all night. Even though you haven’t slept (well, maybe I got an hour or two in there), you feel better. And knowing that this would be my last lap, I did everything I could to leave everything on the course. I was occasionally passed, but I passed people more often. Including — even on my single speed — on downhill grades (I was glad I had changed my gearing to 32 x 18 for this race).
This was strictly a race for my own satisfaction. By this point it was clear we could not, barring a major problem on Stomparillaz’ part — win our category.
But it still felt good to push myself as hard as I could, and to surprise people with an “on your left” as I went by, climbing stuff on my single that people were walking with geared bikes.
If you take a look at our results versus Stomparillaz‘ (the team that won the SS rigid category), it becomes clear why they beat us: They were consistently faster.
Weird.
In the end, we were just happy that we kept them close enough that they couldn’t quite lap us.
Podium and Aftermath
I needed to get started toward home before the awards ceremony began, so we got our medals, put our stinky Team Fatty jerseys back on, and got our own podium picture:
So yeah, we kind of promoted ourselves to top podium position here, where by rights we should have been standing a little to the left. Sorry, Stomparillaz!
And in the interest of full disclosure I should probably mention that since there were only three Singlespeed Rigid teams out there racing, we were going to get on the podium pretty much no matter what. However, one thing I am proud of is that we took 27th overall out of 365 teams. That’s not bad.
And now, a day later, my legs actually feel fine. It’s my arms that are cooked. The “rigid” part of “rigid singlespeed” class makes a difference on a rocky, technical course like this.
And only maybe a quarter of my stuff is unpacked.
Comments (47)
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