Wednesday, May 9, 2007

10-4 Good Buddy

When I woke up on Thursday morning I knew it was time to get this show on the road… literally. My boss, Jack had invited me along for a nice early morning ride in the Mission Trails area just east of the NiteRider global headquarters so I met him at 6:45 for a nice spin on my last day in So Cal. We rode the short couple of miles to the trailhead – uphill. I was feeling pretty good when we first hit the dirt so I put out a pretty good effort on the first climb which I was sure would never end. Once I finally reached the top I was a little worried about what was to come. My physical condition is certainly nothing to brag about. The trail system wasn’t overly technical, but my laziness was shining through and I was picking horrible lines and getting tossed everywhere. We ended up riding something like 16 miles and I felt every inch. Luckily I survived without any spills and hurried around to leave for The Coolest 24 in Cool, California.

Bidding San Diego a fond farewell on shaky legs it was time to hit the road, and after a quick jaunt through Compton (yes that Compton) I was well on my way to Cool, California. Interstate 5 is a truckers’ dream, wide open road, truck stops, awesome. Something about pulling into truck stops and getting diesel amidst all those “real” truckers cracks me up. I’m working on my trucker lingo, now if only I could procure a collection of pearl-snap shirts and silver-tipped boots, and a furry upper-lip. A C.B. radio would be amazing – I’m currently accepting applications for trucker handles.

Cool is a tiny mountain town nestled in the Sierra-Nevada mountain range about 100 miles west of Reno, Nevada. The drive in from Auburn was one of the most nerve-racking and gorgeous drives I’ve ever done. Pulling a trailer on a super twisty mountain road is not exactly a relaxing experience. I managed to pull over a few times and snap some nice pictures of the valley and the American river that runs through it. It’s the kind of drive that would be best enjoyed from the passenger seat of a very safe, slow-moving vehicle. I don’t recommend it for anyone easily affected by motion sickness. The Coolest 24 is a mountain bike race for an extremely good cause. All of the proceeds from the race were donated to the fight against cancer and they had well over 400 registered racers! It is a really great event for a great cause and I strongly recommend it to anyone who can make it! You could tell all of your co-workers and friends that you were doing charity work all weekend plus you would be able to ride your bike which makes philanthropy feel doubly good.

I was the only NiteRider employee from our main offices who would be attending the race, but I did have two very competent guys helping me through the night; our Northern California sales-rep Brian and his friend Rob. Their help was absolutely invaluable and I was lucky to have such great help. I was a little overwhelmed with repairs at the start of the race and they really kept the heat off of me so I could hunker down and get the work busted out. A million thanks guys, hats off really! Brian is a die-hard Oakland Raiders fan and me heralding from Kansas City Chiefs territory I wasn’t sure how we’d get along but all was fine, I did however find a few interesting pictures on the camera…

In the spirit of Cinco de Mayo I brought an assortment of chips and salsas which was a nice way to pass the afternoon. Salsa buffet in the afternoon, charge batteries and flirt with incoherency at night. Everything ran fairly smoothly through the night after we figured out a few power issues. We kept tripping the safety circuit on a power strip and we would find ourselves in the dark, swimming in irony. After that little battle was fought about four times we finally had it to where there would be no more problems and it was smooth sailing ‘til daybreak. Things do tend to get a little weird for me around 3:30 a.m. through about 5:30 a.m. it’s a really strange feeling fighting through the urge to fall asleep standing up. Luckily I had Brian and Rob to talk to and keep my mind preoccupied.

The Coolest 24 Hour Mountain Bike Race is an event that solidifies my faith in the cycling community. Using your bicycle and self-sadistic desires to help fulfill a societal need is something more people should get behind. Bikes + Charity + No Sleep = Good Times with Great People! This event is only going to get bigger with such a good cause and absolutely beautiful countryside. Be there or be decidedly un-round.

Keep the bugs off your bumper and the bears off your back door. This is your daily driver, over-and-out

5 comments:

Ed said...

Hi Good Buddy - Good to hear you made it successfully through the Coolest 24. Sounds like getting there was half the battle. I really like the photo work - hopefully you weren't driving one of the company's rolling stock when you took the San Diego freeway photo! Over and out. El Pellon.

Collin said...

Traffic jams provide ample time for a safe crack at the L.A. skyline, although the dirty windshield isn't helping things...

Ed said...

Okay - downtown LA - I looked more closely at the freeway signs. Don't tell anyone, but I think Jack rode twice as far and twice as hard on your ride last week. He hasn't been the same since. El Pellon.

Gordon said...

Trucker CB Handle ideas:

Hasselhoff comes to mind, clearly.

Collin said...

Ed I'm glad that I'm not the only one changed by the ride last week. I've got a newfound sense of enthusiasm to get out and ride more. Gordon - I've tossed around some sort of Hoff reference but seeing his status in the media recently I'm a little reluctant.