SSWC09 part the second- you're a pal of mine

I awoke to immediately get me to the auto parts store and replace the headlight bulb so as not to interact with the POlice again. (Any interaction with the POlice is a bad interaction.) I looked for my fellow travelers at the hostel. They were out. Went to the bike shop and bought a new 8speed chain and a map.

I returned to HQ, kitted up, and pre-rode the course. I looked again for my friends at the hostel, as it was on the way. They were out and I was left feeling very lurkerish. They carried no cell phones.

Once on the course, I came upon a series of other pre-ride gruops and eventually fell in with one which seemed on pace and knowledgeable. Most of the folks were from Steamboat, so the altitude was taking no tolls there. One young fellow noticed I was carrying beers and seemed enthusiastic about it. When I did open one, I offered him some. He returned the favor (and in kind...get it?) and started talking about himself. It got to the point, after several stops, that when he'd begin talking about himself I'd just ride off. I don't believe he ever cottoned on.

He spoke (a lot) about drinking beers and riding bikes. These are things I also enjoy combining, so I tried to be polite, but. I mention this because shortly after the local guide said "the cool line is to the right...don't blow it", our youngster blew it and apparently fell off one of the stone features atop the ridge and wrapped himself around a spine of sandstone to the tune of broken jaw, bleeding face, broken nose, etc. Though I wish him nothing but well, this is an exemplary example of the necessity of managing your risks. Drinking while riding is a skill, and as with all skills it must be refined and honed. Practiced. It is not a cute little hamster you can pick up and cuddle only to put down as soon as you smell the piss on it's legs- oh no, it requires some respect. Let's be careful out there, people.

I heard about this from G___ and E___, 2 guys I recognized from Grasshoppers and such. I'd ridden off by then. We waited a little while, but it was more fun to ride, and he wasn't my partner so off it was for more attempts to find the 2nd loop. I got lost trying to find it 3 times. Then I gave up and rode in to HQ.

That night was the Run What You Brung Show; a sort of mini-Handmade Show for builders who had bikes in the race. It was much too crowded, so I sat on a bench outside and drank beers from my pockets like your brother does. I met several interesting people while so doing. Most prominent were J____ from Tennessee, and the Rev(wha?!) from Texas (specifically Dallas-Fort Worth ). These were clearly people worth hanging around. That night ended boozily.


The next day we toured the WorldHeadQuarters of King Cage, which was well worth the effort. Ron Andrews is a true gentleman and inventor. The fixtures were laid out so it took 7 movements to turn a piece of titanium or steel tubing into a cage ready to be welded. Amazing. He also had a new product debuting, and allowed us to customize our own if we responded well to "Can you run a hammer?" (Which apparently one fellow had taken too long to reply and been denied the chance on safety grounds.) His coworker, Matt, took my broken cages I had brought in hopes of repair (yes, I am that guy) and fixed them on the spot. For free. Good people, good products.

We skipped the pre-party that evening, as _rad (from Dallas-Fort Worth) was cooking a masterful feast. _rad ended up having such a fine time that B__ (who is a paramedic and firefighter) wired him up for 2L of saline solution the following/race morning. Apparently B__ has partied with this crew before. At 10:30am, _rad pulled the IV from his arm and put on his race suit to make the 11am start. He was dressed as the Flash. A gal asked him at the start who he was supposed to be and he answered "You're obviously not a history buff." Good people, good products.

Then it was race time.