Now I can’t even remember the last time I did a double day. But today was the day. I met my buddy Erik at 7 and we rode the roadies from El Segundo to Torrance along the Strand. Maybe my trail ride last night came back to haunt me or I am out of shape. Whatever it might be – Erik put the hurt on. On the way back we paced each other into 3 separate 2 minute sprints that averaged 23 mph. Now I am not a Cat 5 rider so that was painful, but awesome. After a busy day moving paper I met my wife on the Chip Trail in Manhattan at business close and we put in a four miler. She two wanted to add intervals into the workout and I found myself barely holding on. Awesome.
I received this email from the owner of EVOMO Clothing as he is doing his part to support the Mark Arthur Reynolds Fund raiser after Marks unfortunate crash at the 2008 Sea Otter Classic.
——————————————
Bryan
EVOMO
—
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Mark Arthur Reynolds Memorial Fund and Race Event
Los Angeles, CA — A fund raiser is being held in conjunction with the
CCCX Downhill Race Series starting this Saturday, May 3rd in honor of
Mark A. Reynolds who died on Saturday, April 19, 2008.
Mark’s death was a result of the crash he had while competing in the
Downhill race during the Sea Otter Classic in Monterey, CA. Mark, who
was just 48 years old, was the owner of Wicked Racin and innovator of
the Dualrailluer Guide for which is in the process of being patented
as the first dual chain ring guide. Mark was an avid mountain biker
who raced competitively and he also enjoyed the action sports scene
including snowboarding, wake boarding and even piloting airplanes. He
was also a friend to many as well as a mentor to those looking to
improve their skills.
After hearing the news on Saturday, members of the Evomo Mountain Bike
Team stepped forward to contact fellow industry companies in order to
organize a memorial fund raiser in Mark’s name. “I feel it’s the right
thing to do and I really feel for the family who had to hear such
terrible news”, said Tom Judy, Evomo Downhill Team Member. Everyone on
the Evomo team instantly said they would be happy to make a collective
Team donation to help. Within a few days, Fox Racing was ready to ship
out some product donations and Keith DeFiebre, CCCX race organizer,
offered his event location as a place to hold the fund raiser. “It was
pretty awesome to get such instant support”, said Tom Judy.
Mark’s family hopes to contribute to a freeride or jump park that will
be named after Mark so that people of all levels can enjoy the sport
of mountain biking and can feel encouraged and supported, just as Mark
made all of us feel.
Fox Racing Shox, Evomo, X-Fusion, Pactimo, Stan’s No Tubes, Cool
Cycling Club, Calabazas Cyclery, Trailhead Cyclery, and Auburn Bike
Works have already stepped up to donate cash or product for the fund
raising raffle that will be held at the CCCX DH Race Series finale on
Sunday, June 22. Memorial T-shirts and raffle tickets will be for sale
at this weekends event in which all proceeds will go to the fund in
honor of Mark. “By having a huge raffle at our series finale in June
we are able to maximize the cash we can raise by selling tickets at
the next 5 races”, said Keith DeFiebre, CCCX Race organizer.
This weekend’s event will be held at Toro Park in California, located
between Salinas and Monterey off of Hwy 68 just minutes from Laguna
Seca Raceway. Registration for racing opens at 8am.
Donation information, please visit www.wickedracin.com where you can
make a cash donation in his Mark’s name via PayPal.
I work out alone so I have been digging into the podcast library on iTunes. This week I found The Competitors Radio Show. Radio hosts Bob Babbitt and Paul Huddle chat with athletes and we get to listen in. Greg LeMond has been in the press a bunch. As you may know Trek is sueing to end their relationship with his cycling company. I have been checking the bike insiders views on this and they are taking LeMond to the mat. Seems like he might be jealous of Lance’s success and wants to bring him down. Crazy? Maybe? More than likely not. Over the course of two days I have listened to Lemond’s interview, one with Betsy Andreu (who seems a bit crazy or passionate) and two with David Walsh (author of From Lance to Landis: Inside the American Doping Controversy at the Tour de France). Now I know Lance is quite the American hero but you should listen to some of the Competitors Radio Show podcasts on cycling and doping.
So I ran in the Boston Marathon last week. Wow. There were over 20,000 runners. This, in itself, is quite amazing. It’s not like most other marathons I’ve run where it’s a bit crowded at first but after a few miles the pack thins out and you have a bit of breathing room and after 10 or 15 miles the pack is very thin and it may even seem like you are running with just a few others. No, in Boston, I think that I could have touched 4 other runners at any point in what for me was a 3 hour and 16 minute event.
What was more amazing than this dense pack of 20,000 runners (and more thrilling) was the simple and glorious fact that the course was almost swallowed by hundreds of thousands of spectators, fans, and volunteers. Running 20 miles in a training run is hard. It’s hard because it might feel a bit lonely, a bit long, and a bit anticlimactic. Compared to the 20 mile training run, 26.2 miles at Boston is a breeze. Instead of doing it alone, it’s as if you are on a team with hundreds of thousands of other people. There are hoards of people passing out water and Gatorade and Gu. There are small children, lined up a various spots, who are bouncing up and down hoping that you will give them a high five on your way by. There are the families who have brought buckets of bananas and orange slices who will jog alongside you for a few yards to offer some encouraging words and a handful of fruit. There are the thousands after thousands of people who are screaming your name or your number with exuberance and delight. There are vast groups of college students who have painted their faces or their stomachs with things like, “You can do it”, “Run, Forrest, Run”, and “Pick up the Pace.” All of you have the same purpose – to get you 26.2 miles as fast as possible.
There’s a great picture here, I think. All of these people working together for a common goal, invested in the success of another (even a stranger.) If I could bring the Boston experience to everyday life, I’d like to be the guy handing out the proverbial Gu to my neighbors and coworkers and friends. I’d like to be that kid who’s cheering at the top of his lungs and hoping for a high 5. I’d like people feel so supported and loved that even the most difficult challenges feel a bit easier.
Got word through Twitter today OutForARide.com is officially out of beta. This site is so visually cool! Some of their big post beta features launches are events, groups, text posts and activity feeds. Sounds like a lot of stuff to lose hours of my life on!
Altrec.com is also running a special promotion with Outside All Day. For every purchase you make in the month of May from Altrec.com you will be entered to win a brand new Osprey Exposure 50 Backpack. Now, I know the odds, basically if you place a order, you HUGE odds of winning, probably 1 in 2 chance!
