I’ts always hard for me to know where to start these reviews ans so muvh has happened and I really dont want to disrespect any of the great moments that maek up the p[ast couple weeks. But I also know that if I dont start I will never get it done so bear with me and some open band chatter as I put down and revise this saga over the next few days.
I really wanted a tuzedo for the closing ceremonies last night; glad I didnt have one as I would have been hard pressed to wear it since I missed my own closing party for the first time in all 14 years. Nothing lucky about this one, it got dirty in ways that the "Dirty Dozen" year never even dreamed of. The festival last week had gone so well and I felt so good that I didnt even hesitate to throw down a Pub Crawl night on Thursday eve between the two; heck, when your ivinceable why worry, your ivinceable. So I powered through from the Pub Crawl, to the set up at Highline Lake for our traditional midnight start. I set up what I thought was a clever start routine (May Day girls – and brian – on the hill that the May 2 start had to visit on the running part, kinda clever I thought) and start visiting my guests and diggin into the beers again and getting ready. The Midnight start went sweet and was fun and great visual for all watching’ that first lap lake reflection is the coolest thing I have ever seen at a bike race. We watced night laps for a while and imbidded some more and then wandered back to the many campsite gatherings and dranks some more till the wee hours. I think I laid down around 5 or 6 am and got a few winks but awoke for some reason and did some thing and set off to enjoying this great event. I rode a couple laps and did a couple interviews and chatted with a hundred folks and helped with this and that and hung out with some of my peeps doing what peeps do. By 4 ish I wanted to do some laps and I rolled out again; it had rained and gotten a bit ugly mid afternoon and this was the chance to see how the course was shaping up. It was good and it was fast and I was rolling a good lap, passed only once and having a blast, I rolled back to the start to do whatever I do and somehow just rolled through and set off again; it was a great lap with great conditions and flow, at least until the back side, thats when it started raining. It rained a little and them more and them cut loose with a course ruin-ing vengance. People went from smilin to tears and bikes went to heck in a hurry. We made some emergency changes and tried to save as many from the carnagae as we could. It got ugly and I felt bummed a little for that end but helpd to the hope that all would be well and soon it would be sunny again. It was… for a few minutes, enouhg to let us think we could finsinsh cleana dn then it went for the final blow, a deluge that crushed the final moements and the chances of a sunny outdoor awards party. I was a bit worked and needed to lay down for a few. I did… a few HOURS… I laid down and was suddenly crippled; I began to think, "what have you eaten today? yesterday? Dude your gonna die". That led me to reviewing when the last time I had drank anything but beer, like maybe a water or something? I tried tot ell myslef that a quick 30 minute power nap and I might rally in classic Troy (who never misses the last call) fasion but no! Troy does sometiimes miss the cirtain call, not often, but I did this one. I was down and I was out for the count. I slept / coma’d for the next 12 hours and now I’m back in the game, ready for cleanup week, shop week and Italy / NYC on Thursday
I’ll wait for my tuxedo, maybe soon, 42 long 34 inseam
Ciao