Thanks for the Ride

On my last lap at the 12 Hours of Lodi Farm, Bob Anderson (super fast, really nice, solo winner) grabbed my wheel for a short while and hung on. I'd spent each and every lap hunting people down and passing them like mile markers along the road. Not Bob. He let me by, then grabbed hold. Focused on my own goal to crush another lap, it took me a little while to register he was back there. He wasn't pushing or challenging me. He was simply along for the ride. Being that the section we were in was mostly without climbs, I turned it up a notch. He took the bait. Hmmm this could be interesting I thought. The trail got really twisty and we hammered it. A few drops and jumps got our bikes airborne. Simultaneously our bikes went from ripping dirt to the silence only air can achieve. With two whacks we were back on the ground tearing it up. The trail made a slightly banked turn out into the field where people were camping. A small crowd had gathered to watch. It must have been quite a show as we both ripped around the top of the berm and shot back into the woods. At this point I realized I couldn't keep this up much longer. I thought about where we were and what was coming next. Soon there would be a hill. On a single speed, I'd drop him on the climb. He knew it too (so I thought). As we hit the bottom he backed off and said "Thanks for the ride."

After the race was over, I realized who he was. Bob Anderson won the geared solo class. He put in 13 laps that night all by himself. That little time we shared was probably his 12th lap. Coming from him, that comment on the trail meant a lot.

In a similar respect, I'd like to pass the same compliment onto the group this weekend. Everyone played a role in the success of the weekend. It was really quite amazing. Plans were made, resources shared and we all just killed it.

Guys and gals, Thanks for the ride. I can't wait for the next one.

I'll get more (pictures/details) up soon. I'm still too tired and behind on a few things. In the meantime you can check out the following for more info.

FatMarc
The Engineer
Chunky Monkey

- b